Search

Purpose: Despite continuing workforce challenges over the last decade, the social care system is considered a key enabler in keeping older people out of hospital. In response to the workforce challenges, White Paper was released, which acknowledged the opportunities afforded by digital technology to assist older people ageing at home, often supported by informal caregivers. Given the policy emphasis on digital-enabled care, the most appropriate methods for evaluating its impact on social care outcomes have yet to be determined. The purpose this study was to review the current literature using a systematic approach to understand the methodological limitations to inform more robust evaluations in their use in future research. Design/methodology/approach: This scoping review used a systematic approach adopting the framework of Arksey and O'Malley to examine studies examining the adoption of digital technologies to assist in older people's ability to age in place. Findings: The 21 relevant studies identified on digital technology to assist ageing-in-place are evolving. To date, it has focused on the efficacy and usability of the digital technologies themselves rather than investigating the impact of such technologies on re/enablement outcomes for older people. To rebalance this emphasis, there needs to be more research investigating the factors that enhance useability of digital technologies by older people and exploiting narrative data gained from qualitative research as they can provide valuable insights. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first scoping review to consider qualitative methodological approaches for exploring ageing in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of residential age segregation has been relatively under-studied, since spatial separation of older and younger people tends to be normalized. Prior literature demonstrates that age segregated environments may be socially isolating, especially for older adults, which may have detrimental impacts on their physical and mental health. While there are some studies on residential age segregation in Western contexts, there is scarce literature on age segregation in Asian cities. This mixed methods study examines changing patterns of residential age segregation in Hong Kong, through analyzing a combination of secondary census data and qualitative, in-depth interview data. The findings reveal that the extent of age segregation has remained consistently low from 2006 to 2016, although age segregation appears to be more pronounced between young adults in their early 20s and older adults above 65. Furthermore, in-depth interviews with 26 older people reveal that older people perceive themselves as being socially separated from younger people, especially older people who remain in ageing housing estates in urban districts. The findings add to the growing international literature on generational divides in spatial inequalities, while highlighting the influence of local housing policies on age segregation. The paper concludes by considering the policy implications of the findings, and the practical interventions that might contribute to reducing social isolation experienced by older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the global demographic shifts towards an ageing population, the significance of the built environment in facilitating ageing in place gains prominence. This study addresses the critical question of how a built environment can support older adults' independence and enhance their quality of life. Method: Utilising a systematic review of review papers, this research scrutinises existing literature to uncover the influence of urban planning, physical accessibility, and residential design on the older people's physical and mental well-being. More specially, the study methodically examines existing review articles that span various aspects of the built environment related to ageing in place. Results: The analysis reveals that specific elements of the built environment, notably rational urban planning and accessible urban spaces, as well as adaptable housing designs, significantly impact ageing individuals' health, social engagement, and overall satisfaction with life. It also identifies contradictions in the effects of environmental features on cognitive health and well-being, underscoring areas that warrant further exploration. Conclusions: The study concludes that thoughtful urban and housing designs are pivotal in creating age-friendly environments that support ageing in place. It emphasises the need for future research and policy development aimed at enhancing the living conditions of older adults within their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aimed to inform a deeper understanding of the varied experiences of ageing in place for older adults in Australia and New Zealand. Ageing in place involves older adults remaining in their own home or community as they age rather than moving into residential care. Our focus was on how ageing in place relates to older adults' mental health, life satisfaction, wellbeing, and overall ability to adapt well to ageing. This paper followed PRISMA‐ScR guidelines. Of the initial 210 papers identified, 20 met inclusion criteria and were retained. Four key themes related to experiences of ageing in place and the skills and strategies utilised to age in place were extracted from these studies. Themes encompassed older adults' individual characteristics and strategies, their connections to community, their home environment, and the appropriateness of support and services. We conclude that ageing in place should not be considered a "one size fits all" approach to ageing. Policymakers, researchers, and governments should acknowledge that older adults are a diverse group. Future ageing policy should strive to accommodate all older adults regardless of their circumstances or ageing preferences and researchers should include older adults from diverse populations and circumstances. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some findings from the IN-AGE ("Inclusive ageing in place") study, which the authors carried out in 2019 in Italy. It explores the available social support resources for frail older people with functional limitations ageing in place alone, and possible links between their social isolation and perceived loneliness. The authors conducted qualitative/semi-structured interviews involving 120 participants aged 65 years and over, and used a mixed-methods analysis (quantitative/qualitative). The main results show the family as the main help resource for daily activities, but also for intimate confidences against social isolation, especially when said relatives live close. Family confidants are less present when seniors are supported by friends/neighbours or/and public services. Moreover, the family is valuable for decreasing loneliness, although not always. However, some older people feel particularly alone when they are supported by public services. Such a complex context draws attention on the need of support for frail seniors living alone and could provide insights for policymakers on adequate policies for preventing and managing loneliness and social isolation in later life. This is especially relevant when family (and other) resources are not available or scarce, also considering the opportunities offered by technology, which can help seniors remain socially connected to relatives, friends and their overall community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ageing in place is a common desire among older adults and people in need of care. Accessible housing and ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies can help to live independently at home. However, they cannot replace the human support network of informal caregivers, healthcare professionals and social workers. The needs of these stakeholders should be considered and analysed in order to develop user-friendly and acceptable (digital) solutions for ageing in place while supporting human support networks in fulfilling their roles. This paper presents the first step for a comprehensive multi-level needs analysis within the framework of an user-centered design thinking approach. Methods: Guideline-based interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals, social workers and an informal caregiver to collect data about the needs of older adults as well as people in need of care, and their human support networks. Results: The call for more information that is easier to find is a common desire of the three groups. There is agreement on system-based communication and orientation problems, the existence of physical and psychological stress exacerbated by a lack of human resources, the desire for personalised care, the need to feel safe and supported in emergencies, and the need for advice and help with administrative tasks. Overall, the needs of one group are closely linked to those of the other. Conclusion: Stakeholder selection and diversity are decisive for findings about ageing in place. The overlaps between the stakeholders' needs offer chances and challenges at the same time for the development of user-friendly, acceptable (digital) solutions and products that support ageing in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global demographics trend toward an aging population. Hence, there will be an increased social demand for elderly care. Recently, assistive technologies such as service robots have emerged and can help older adults to live independently. This paper reports a review starting from 1999 of the existing mobile service robots used for older adults to grow old at home. We describe each robot from the viewpoint of applications, platforms, and empirical studies. Studies reported that mobile social robots could assist older adults throughout their daily activities such as reminding, household tasks, safety, or health monitoring. Moreover, some of the reported studies indicate that mobile service robots can enhance the well-being of older adults and decrease the workload for their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing with a disability increases the risk of hospitalization and nursing home admission. Ageing in place interventions aiming to reduce disability are often not sufficiently effective and inadequately theory-based. There are many models available on disability, but it is unclear how they define disability, what their differences are, and how they evolved throughout the years. This paper aims to provide an overview of the evolution of these models and to elaborate on the causal mechanisms of disability. A literature review was conducted as part of the TRANS-SENIOR international training and research network. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched, and snowball sampling was applied to eligible publications. Data were extracted from the included publications, and a thematic analysis was performed on the retrieved data. Overall, 29 publications were included in the final sample. All included models arose from three original models and could be divided into two types: linear models and models on the interaction between the person and the environment. Thematic analysis led to three distinct evolutionary trends: (1) from a unidirectional linear path to a multidirectional nonlinear path, (2) from the consequences of disease towards the consequences of person–environment interaction, and (3) from disability towards health and functioning. Our findings suggest that by optimizing the use of personal as well as environmental resources, and focusing on health and functioning, rather than disability, an older person's independence and wellbeing can be improved, especially while performing meaningful daily activities in accordance with the person's needs and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development and deployment of health and ageing innovations, underlying values such as privacy or quality of life are often seen as a relatively stable starting point, if considered at all. However, values are neither stable nor singular. This paper introduces a valuation framework to explore the co-constitution of values and technological innovations. A careful and ongoing reflection on values and valuation, in particular in innovation practices targeted at older people, is crucial when aiming to increase sustainable innovations. Therefore, we include a Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) perspective to technological development and innovation, to understand better the construction and co-constitution of ageing-in-place technologies. This framework is developed following a review of literature on values and valuation in the broad field of SSH. The proposed valuation framework consists of three core elements: (a) value multiplicity, (b) value dynamism, and (c) valuation implications. To demonstrate potential applicability of the framework, we conducted a thought experiment on values and valuation practices related to the development and potential further deployment of a COVID-19 health app in the Netherlands. This experiment pays special attention to multiple values at stake and implications for older adults who age in place. We argue this valuation framework provokes reflection on dynamic and multiple values underlying technology use and non-use, and contributes to responsible health and ageing innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

purposes. Three strategies for support seem evident: prompting and reminding people with dementia, monitoring people with dementia at home using environmental sensors and biosensors and providing safety outdoors. Thus, there is still a need for further research on the impact of technologies promoting occupational performance, quality of life, and human dignity for independent living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Custom-built solutions for ageing, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, thermal performance, and well-being are contemporary challenges that have prompted considerable research over the past decades. In the construction field, subjects such as energy efficiency and thermal performance are often addressed within the scope of mandatory regulations, the suitability of construction solutions and the incorporation of technical equipment. Considering four residential structures for older adults under construction in Portugal, this paper aims to highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to these issues, including architectural quality as the main target. In pursuit of this, a cohesive set of intervention principles guided the analysis: the adaptive reuse of raw materials; taking advantage of the site's conditions; vegetation (type and location); construction options and durability; solar exposure and shading; the pedagogy of building use; and the comfort and thermal perception. Several reflections emerge from the analysis: good architectural design must consider dynamic models incorporating each context and the site's conditions; the culture of use and maintenance and the notion of "adaptive comfort" are primary factors to enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency; and each building is a unique result of a complex negotiation process. Bridging research through practice, and multidisciplinary scientific integration enable engagement with reality and raise awareness of the constraints and challenges to innovation in LTC design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between community care services and ageing in place in urban China. Using data from the 2010 Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China, and within the framework of a revised version of Andersen's model, the paper applies multilevel models and analyses the effects of community care on the preference between ageing in place and institutional care, and reveals that ageing in place is preferred even in urban China. However, the existence of community care services had no significant effect on the preference for ageing in place. The paper concludes by arguing that China needs to develop its community care services and promote the idea of community care in both culture and policy. Realising ageing in place also requires a multidisciplinary approach. A model of shared care, between family and state, is particularly appropriate for China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This paper presents a review of the literature about the built environment as it impacts the health of older people. It then introduces the gerontological nurse and researcher to the Our Voice framework for engaging older people as citizen scientists in order to empower them as agents of change in improving their local built environment and ultimately advancing community health. Background: Community‐level strategies to promote successful ageing in place are critical both to optimising health outcomes and containing healthcare costs. Such strategies must take into account the influence of the built environment both on individual health behaviours and on overall community health. At the same time, the perspectives and experiences of older people themselves ought to inform policies and practices in a systematic way. Design: Integrative literature review. Method: A wide scan of English language articles published in the EMBASE, PubMed and CINAHL bibliographic databases was conducted. Additional articles were sourced by mining relevant reference lists (i.e., snowball sampling). Papers included were published between 2005 and 2016. Results: Three distinct components emerged from the review: the impact of the built environment on health—in particular the health of older persons; citizen science and its applicability for older people research; and the promise of the Our Voice citizen science framework to activate changes in the built environment that improve older peoples’ health. Conclusion: The ageing of the world's population brings with it an increased population‐level risk of chronic disease and disability. We present the Our Voice framework, developed by researchers at Stanford University, as a promising strategy for engaging and empowering older people as citizen scientists, as a framework to apply to gerontological nursing and improving community health. Implications for practice: Gerontology nurses are encouraged to: (i) Recognise the impact of the built environment and other community‐level factors on the health of their patients. (ii) Encourage older adults to take an active role in documenting features of their environments that promote or hinder healthy living. (iii) Support policies and programmes that promote healthy environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing in place, in a domestic environment rather than in an institution, is people’s preference in an ageing planet. This raises post-domestic design challenges as the home becomes now also a place for care, and most dwellings are not prepared to respond to the growing needs of fragile older people. In this paper we will explore the importance of architectural layouts, strategies, and the incorporation of IT technology for smart homes, as possible answers to these new requirements. The importance of façade depth as a new design strategy for lookout spaces will be discussed in terms of the specific requirements of older residents who are homebound for health reasons or safety rules (as pandemic requirements), thus becoming places for a healthy connection with the outside world. Homebound interior design also requires a new approach: COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the new preference of working from home, no matter the age. New residential spaces are no longer exclusively domestic, and they require IT tech support for different activities. Flexibility of spaces is now a basic requirement: quickly changing or adapting domestic spaces with minor investments under a life-cycle design logic, keeping them safe for all, from grandchildren to grandparents, must become a ground rule for the future. In this paper we will review recent findings on how the post-domestic space must be designed to host a comfortable and active ageing for senior citizens who choose to age in place.

In this paper, we explore the needs of older adults for social interaction by investigating how local and everyday communities are produced by service organisations and experienced by their patrons. We approach the social needs of older adults through the lens of 'community,' both as a concept and as a lived experience. Our attention to communities of peers and arenas for everyday interaction is discussed in the context of the dominant policy discourse of 'ageing in place.' In this discourse, 'place' is predominantly interpreted as physical infrastructure, with little formal recognition of the importance of the arenas of social everyday interaction for older adults outside the home/family. Our exploration draws on the empirical study of three organisations in Toronto, Canada and Bergen, Norway that, in various ways, represent places for everyday interaction. We discuss how belonging is understood from the perspective of different older groups and how it is facilitated by organisations and services, through the creation of shared, informal social spaces. Even though there is considerable difference in size, aesthetics, target population and geographical impact field, all three organisations offered their patrons a space for informal social interaction in which they were allowed to claim the space as their own. Our analysis indicates a pronounced need for a diversity of arenas for older adults to interact socially. Furthermore, we portray how these spaces for everyday interaction are created often in addition to, or even in divergence from, the official mission of these organisations, in a form of co-optation by patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "ageing in place" has become increasingly significant in the environmental gerontology literature. Despite its predominance, there have been limited efforts to offer a more comprehensive and nuanced conceptualization of this topic. Definitions found in the literature are often too simplistic and only partially capture the various aspects of older adults' experience while ageing in place. This paper presents a conceptual framework on ageing in place in the context of neighbourhood environment which aims to address this gap by proposing a multi-faceted understanding of ageing in place processes through the lenses of a capability approach, a more comprehensive definition of the concept, and related overarching principles. Building on predominant theories in environmental gerontology, this conceptual framework offers new insights into the interactions between "place" and the "ageing individual". It is meant to offer opportunities for discussion, to suggest new paths of inquiry, and to explore implications for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary We wanted to know what people with learning disabilities know about dementia. We asked service users what the word meant to them, if they knew anyone with dementia, and what it was like to share a house with someone who has dementia. We learnt that: • Service users can know a lot about dementia. • Living with someone with dementia can be really hard – and staff do not always have enough time for everyone else. • Services should think more about how dementia affects everyone – not just the person who has the dementia. This paper reports on research that illuminates how people with a learning disability understand dementia and indicates the implications of these understandings for developing appropriate models of care. As this new policy and practice area struggles to provide appropriate and effective models of care for people with a learning disability and dementia, an awareness of service users’ understandings of dementia leads to a number of important insights. The wider research programme from which this paper is drawn aims to identify best practice in supporting people with learning disabilities to stay in their own homes as they grow older and develop dementia. A combination of focus groups, ethnography and individual interviews were conducted at eight sites across England. Participants were people with a learning disability who had dementia, and those who have lived with someone with dementia. The findings have the potential to improve support to this population as they grow older. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper considers home from the perspective of people living with dementia supporting ongoing discourse around ageing in place and the significance of creating more inclusive communities. Methods: Forty‐six home tour interviews led by people living with dementia were conducted in England and Scotland to better understand the connectivity between home and neighbourhood for people living with dementia. These interviews used a range of participatory and creative approaches including video, photographic images and in situ interviews. Data were analysed via reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified in data analysis. 1. Connected home and neighbourhood, where participants revealed the dynamic relationship between home and neighbourhood; 2. Practices of home, where participants discussed the everyday nature of their homes and routines; and 3. Displaying home and family, which reflected participant's biographical homes in the context of living with dementia. Discussion: The findings show that home holds multiple meanings for people living with dementia. For example, home is understood as a part of the neighbourhood and an extension of the home space into gardens and backyards, thus extending existing discourses that solely focus on the inside of people's homes. For people living with dementia, homes are also sites of negotiation and renegotiation where new meanings are created to reflect the changing nature and context of the home. There is not one fixed solution to these issues. Support and understanding for people living with dementia will need to evolve to adapt to the shifting dynamics and multiple meanings of home. Key points: Neighbourhoods begin within homes and are interconnected. This relationship has important implications for the discourse of ageing in place.'Home' for people living with dementia holds the same meanings for those without dementia, but with some notable differences. It is important to recognise the shifting dynamics of home and to recognise the complexity of home in the context of dementia. There is not a fixed solution to the challenges of ageing at home with dementia, but support and understanding need to evolve alongside people with lived experience.Homes are a site of renegotiation where new meanings are created to reflect the changing nature of home and the lived experience of home for those with dementia.The study has provided findings through innovation in the research design. The employment of creative methods enabled people living with dementia to participate in sharing their own narratives of home.The work provides evidence where there is a current gap in understanding 'what matters' about home for people living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a decade of changes in the location patterns of older people in the ‘sunbelt’ region of South East Queensland (SEQ). Despite the accentuation of public policies to better cater for older people in an ageing Australia, little attention has been directed towards exploration of the changing spatial distributions of older people over time. This paper partially redresses this gap in the literature, by exploring changes in the spatial distribution of older people in SEQ over the decade 1996 to 2006. The findings highlight a marked spatial variation in numerical and structural ageing across SEQ, in which numerical ageing has become more pronounced, whereas structural ageing, particularly in the coastal areas, has, largely, not eventuated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourses on later-life housing and care are polarised. Ageing in place – typically in one's long-term dwelling – is often presented as the most desirable living arrangement, while moving to a congregate environment tends to be regarded as a last resort. Such polarised discourses obscure older people's experiences as they contemplate needs for housing, health and social care. To expand current understandings of mobility intentions, this paper examines 'time work' – or actions undertaken to exert some agency over time – as older people with chronic health conditions and disabilities navigate present and future support arrangements. Based on an interpretive analysis of qualitative interviews with 22 older persons receiving home care in Ontario, Canada, I identify three themes that highlight the temporal aspects of mobility intentions: (a) maintaining continuity with the past and present, (b) constructing alternative futures and (c) facing precarity. Focusing on time work shows how people make sense of ageing in place and/or relocating not only in relation to their physical, social and psychological capacities, but also in relation to perceptions of the past, present and future. Time work, moreover, has implications for feelings of security in the present and a sense of control over the future. Based on these findings, I make suggestions for developing a comprehensive continuum of supports, so all older people can make meaningful choices concerning housing and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper combines two strands of literature that hitherto have often been kept separate in studies of ageing migrants: research in environmental gerontology on the one hand and work dealing with transnational migration on the other. In doing so, it aims to contribute to the understanding of the ways in which ageing migrants experience the notion of 'home', both as a location and a set of relationships that contribute to feelings of belonging and identity. The paper is based on 34 interviews with first-generation Turkish migrants living in inner-city districts of Brussels. The paper reviews the variety of ways in which 'home' is experienced and created, the constraints and environmental pressures which may prevent people from developing a sense of home, and the meaning of transnational ties and mobility for the experience of home. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ageing population raises the question of providing adequate housing that enables older people to age in place without losing autonomy and independence. Except for the issue of accessibility, no framework exists that specifically outlines a standard to achieve and, as a result, interventions on existing or on new buildings may be inconsistent without leading to a desired rise in living standards. This research addresses this issue by presenting a framework for the assessment of the age-appropriateness of housing through a number of metrics that detect and identify physical and non-physical features of a home environment to enable ageing in place. The study combines data from a qualitative systematic literature review of 93 papers and qualitative data from structured interviews with four experts in the field. As a result, 71 metrics were identified, divided into eight main domains, to describe the framework. This paper provides an improved understanding of the housing features that enable ageing in place. The tool categorizes and rates qualitative and quantitative aspects that contribute to the age-friendliness of housing, resulting in an easy to adopt assessment framework. This is a valuable means for stakeholders engaged in improving the current housing stock or in constructing new buildings for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pixo: Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade is the property of Pixo Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to give an overview of the different sources of income and the expenditures of community-dwelling older adults and to what extent they can make ends meet to explore the affordability of care and support at home. Despite research on the affordability of residential care, evidence on the cost of 'ageing in place' is still missing. 173 questionnaires were gathered within a non-random sample of community-dwelling older adults (60+). Both frequencies and bivariate tests (to explore whether there are certain risk groups with low incomes and high expenditures) were performed on the data. Results indicate the variety of income sources, the necessity of financial compensations to make ends meet and that especially older women and older tenants are at risk for facing financial difficulties. Also, this research indicates that 'ageing in place', especially for older adults with care needs, is not always affordable and can be a challenge within our ageing society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on extremely important issue of an aging population and the related need to explore, develop and extend prospective forms of sustainable environment for the elderly. Having in mind the persisting grows of ageing population the task is getting extremely large economic and social effect. Prospective trends in development of manmade environment for elderly people and their relevance to the Bulgarian situation are investigated. The relevance was considered from several points of view - economic, climatic, socio-cultural etc. Selected diploma projects of architecture students from NBU are outlined as good practice examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual preferences for 'ageing in place' (AIP) in old age are not well understood. One way to test the strength of AIP preference is to investigate the effect of health shocks on residential mobility to smaller size or value dwellings, which we refer to as 'housing downsizing'. This paper exploits more than a decade worth of longitudinal data to study older people's housing decisions across a wide range of European countries. We estimate the effect of health shocks on different proxies for physical and financial housing downsizing (residential mobility, differences in home value, home value to wealth ratio), to examine the persistence of AIP preferences. Our findings suggest that consistently with the AIP hypothesis, after every decade of life, the likelihood of downsizing decreases by two percentage points (pp). However, the experience of a health shock partially reverts such culturally embedded preference for AIP by a non-negligible magnitude. We estimate a 9pp increase in the probability of residential mobility after the onset of a degenerative illness), and an average 0.6 fewer rooms after the onset of a degenerative illness. Such estimates are larger in Northern and Central European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supporting people to 'age in place' – to live independently at home and remain connected to the community – is an international policy priority. But the process of ageing in place is mediated in a socio-cultural context where neoliberal tropes of successful ageing reproduce a pervasive model about 'ageing well' by elevating ideals of individualised choice and self-governance. Based on two waves of qualitative interviews and interim observations, we employ a Bourdieusian logic to explore the ramifications of this context on the experiences of 46 people in later older age (80+) ageing in place in North East England. All participants enacted everyday improvisatory practices to render their homes habitable. But our participants – most of whom were located in middle-class social positions – supplemented such improvisions with a strategic disposition to plan for and actively shape their ageing-in-place futures. Our participants conveyed a distinct sense of agency over their ageing futures. Underpinning their orientations to practice was an awareness of the value attached to individually 'ageing well' and a distancing from the agedness associated with the fourth age. Our analysis demonstrates the role of capital, accrued throughout the life course, in bringing such future trajectories into effect. The central argument of this paper therefore is that the embodiment of (neoliberal) ideals of successful ageing in place requires the deployment of classed capital. In sum, contrary to the individualising narratives ubiquitous in policy pertaining to ageing well, we show the importance of classed structural moorings in this process. • Regardless of class, older adults (80+) tinker to render their homes habitable. • Bourdieusian analysis shows how class shapes (successful) ageing in place. • Focusing on middle-class experiences deepens insight into ageing inequalities. • Dispositions to plan for and actively shape ageing futures requires capital. • The individualising focus of successful ageing ideals is inherently classed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to an ageing population, local governments are facing new challenges in the field of addressing the housing needs of older people. Seniors are not a homogeneous group; three basic categories may be distinguished in terms of independence level and the resulting needs. The first category would include independent people, the second one - the elderly with limited independence, and in this case it is necessary to adapt their dwellings to the needs of people with partial disabilities, e.g. dedicated housing. The last category is comprised of people with considerable dependence for whom there is a need to create special dwellings such as sheltered housing or assisted living housing. The aim of this paper is to diagnose the housing preferences of the elderly and to explore the solutions of the selected municipalities in the field of addressing the housing needs of seniors. The issue is analyzed based on desk research and information collected within field research in the Warsaw, Poznań and Szczecin urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period of economic and political transformations in Poland, considerable changes occurred in large housing estates, while demographic transformation and housing-stock ageing starting to aggravate social and spatial problems. The serious issue currently dominating such estates concerns the process of natural ageing of the housing stock and residential ageing which is associated with the reduction of residential mobility and demographic ageing of people living in the large housing estates. This paper intends to identify ageing of the estates' population in the context of the evaluation of residential life quality. The authors concentrated on analysis of 2002 and 2011 statistical data, as well as data collected during their field surveys conducted in 2010–2012. Detailed studies were carried out on seven estates in five cities and towns in Poland (Kraków, Poznań, Tarnów, Żyrardów and Dzierżoniów). To identify the residential standard and quality of life, surveys were conducted on housing estates which allowed the researchers to establish the essential factors which determined the level of satisfaction of older people with regard to their place of residence. The authors also determined the course of changes in the perception of particular aspects of life quality in the process of residents' ageing in the selected places of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much literature has focused on the meaning of home, relatively little has been conducted on homemaking in later life. This paper demonstrates the importance of time in conceptualizations of home. Using an extensive case study from a multi-interview study with eight older people in England, it is shown that gardening can form the basis of a temporal framework which structures a life. Importantly, gardening can seem essential in homemaking and a reason not to move to residential living. This paper builds on literature that suggests home is a process and that people's conceptualization and experience of home develop throughout their lives. As ageing and dying have become long and complicated processes, it is argued older people may find this challenging as this makes it difficult to prepare for the end of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With populations ageing across the developed world, there is increasing interest in the impact of the urban environment on the capacity of people to age in place. This is a significant issue not only for the quality of life of older people but also for the longer-term sustainability of cities and neighbourhoods. This paper presents findings from a cross-disciplinary pilot research study that addresses the link between health in older Australians and urban sustainability. The paper details a unique neighbourhood assessment method that explores associations between subjective and objective measures of neighbourhood characteristics and health for community dwelling people aged 55 years and over. The results reveal that health is a major pre-occupation for the study group but social interaction and the built environment are major influences on quality of life. It is anticipated that the pilot study will lead to the development of guidelines for the design of sustainable urban environments that respond to the health needs of an increasingly diverse ageing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population ageing is creating opportunities and challenges for many communities across the globe, as one in six people is expected to be older than 65 by 2050. Initiatives to develop age-friendly communities (AFC) have increased in popularity for more than two decades. While the physical environment and outdoor spaces are recognized as the core domain of the concept of AFC in the literature, most articles are published in the journals of ageing, gerontology, health and social policy and not in mainstream urban planning or design journals. The aim of the paper is to examine the spatial interventions and built-environment related discussions in the scholarly literature in the realm of AFC in the fields of landscape architecture and urban planning and identify gaps in the literature with the focus on spatial interventions. In addition, this paper aims to call urban planners and designers to action to be more engaged in the discussions and implementation of age-friendliness of communities. Findings suggest that urban planners and designers have the ability and power to contribute to the implementation of AFCs by raising awareness, changing attitude towards ageing issues, develop networks and collaboration, increase empathy, initiate and change policies, and put policies into action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The potential of service robots for seniors is given increasing attention as the ageing population in Western countries will continue to grow as well as the demand for home care. In order to capture the experience of living with a robot at home, a multi-perspective evaluation was conducted. Methods: Older adults (n = 10) were invited to execute an actual interaction scenario with the Care-O-bot® robot in a home-like environment and were questioned about their experiences. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the elderly participants, informal carers (n = 7) and professional caregivers (n = 11). Results: Seniors showed to be more keen to accept the robot than their caregivers and relatives. However, the robot in its current form was found to be too limited and participants wished the robot could perform more complex tasks. In order to be acceptable a future robot should execute these complex tasks based on the personal preferences of the user which would require the robot to be flexible and extremely smart, comparable to the care that is delivered by a human carer. Conclusions: Developing the functional features to perform activities is not the only challenge in robot development that deserves the attention of robot developers. The development of social behaviour and skills should be addressed as well. This is possible adopting a person-centred design approach, which relies on validation activities with actual users in realistic environments, similar to those described in this paper. Implications for rehabilitation: Attitude of older adults towards service robots Potential of service robotsfor older adults [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Population ageing and urbanisation are worldwide phenomena that are transforming societies and having profound economic and social effects on cities and countries throughout the world. Ageing is not taking place evenly, and in many developed cities, ageing growth rates are greater in peripheral areas than in the centre. This paper determines how intrametropolitan residential mobility and ageing‐in‐place patterns vary across age categories and geographical scales, explored through a case study of metropolitan Perth, a rapidly growing, low‐density, sprawling city. Using a life course perspective, this study examines Australian residential mobility census data between 2006 and 2011 and disaggregates this into 4 age categories: preretirement (ages 55–64), seniors in active retirement (ages 65–74), mature‐aged seniors (ages 75–84), and older aged seniors (over 85 years). This study adds to the internal migration literature by offering new insights into the age‐specific mobility patterns of older populations within metropolitan areas. The results reveal that the overriding dynamic is one of stability across the metropolitan area with the dominant trend being “ageing in place.” It was found that the likelihood of residential mobility varies by age, and a 2‐peak mobility pattern was identified, with the preretirement and the older aged seniors exhibiting the most mobility. Additionally, although the majority of moves were short distance, younger ages moved farther than did the older aged categories. The study makes empirical and conceptual contributions to our understanding of ageing residential mobility trends within metropolitan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid ageing of the population is a worldwide inexorable demographic transformation. At a time of immense social, political and economic change, the growing elderly population is at the forefront of global burden, placing an increasing strain on the federal, state, and local budgets. Many public policy responses to the impending ageing epidemic have begun, particularly with regards to dementia prevention and quality of life for older adults. However, to date, the fruition of such efforts remains to be discovered. Indeed, there is a need to find more novel and multifaceted ways of understanding the fragmentary changes and underlying mechanisms in the biopsychosocial contexts of ageing. Discovering better ways to measure these intricate domains will create better insight into how to improve clinical and public health information systems for the development of more personalisation support and services across the continuum of aged care. Technology now permeates all aspects of our everyday living. Digital footprints are data arising as a by-product of interactions we do as part of everyday living. The digital traces we live behind, be it on internet, social media, on mobile phone apps, as well as in health records (EHRs) could be used to infer how we behave and interact with environment, and how we feel in different situations. Commercial sector has very successfully used these footprints in the advertisement and marketing space. This type of information may provide clinicians with an unobtrusive way of monitoring older adults in their daily living, and provide an alternative means to traditional selfreport and expert-rated assessment. In this paper we present two innovative digital footprint applications, Actionable Intime Insights and the SAIL Mobile app, which aim to facilitate "Ageing in Place" through adaptive, dynamic, early intervention strategies. These systems are devised to unveil contextual indicators of how a person is functioning mentally, socially, behaviourally and physically in their own environment, as to as assist those with chronic conditions better self-manage by facilitating assistance with care and medication needs just in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose ‘ageing in networks’ as an optic that shows how the social networks of older adults extend beyond their residential neighbourhoods to extra-local and transnational settings. The paper brings together literature on ageing and social networks in mobilities and migration research to identify shared thematic framings between non-migrant and migrant older adults. Our approach broadens the analytical frame to encapsulate how ageing individually and in communities takes place through local and international mobility and via digital technologies. Ageing in networks also illuminates the importance of connecting their social protection needs with those of the people in their care assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, one of the key challenges on a global scale is the issue of an ageing society. The UN predicts that the number of people aged 60 and over will double by 2050 and treble by 2100. In the coming years, the demand for real estate that addresses the specific needs of older people will increase both qualitatively and quantitatively. Therefore, two main questions arise: What are the architectural features of real estate required to accommodate for the needs of an ageing society? Which European Union countries seem to have the highest and lowest potential to create a segment of the real estate market focused on older people? This paper contains a research overview in the field of the built environment for older people and case studies of different policies established by public authorities from past decades. The potential for real estate for an ageing society in EU countries was determined on the basis of variables collected by the UNECE. The results also enable assumptions to be made on which factors may influence future development in this area. Due to global climate changes combined with the urbanization process and resulting deterioration of air quality, heat island effect or poor accessibility to open areas, the ageing society will have to face the problem of adapting to these new conditions. Therefore, the authors assume that this will have a significant impact on the relocation of this age group on the real estate market in the future. The conclusions of the research contribute to general discussion on new trends in the real estate market and the assessment of future investments in real estate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neighbourhood life-cycle theory has provided some important insights into the question of how population ageing may influence local neighbourhoods. But this theory has been rightly criticized by urban scholars for its deterministic and highly pessimistic approach. More recent theoretical ideas about “positive ageing” challenge the underlying pessimistic view of ageing in neighbourhood life-cycle theory, and provide opportunities to consider new and more optimistic conceptualizations of neighbourhood ageing. This paper provides a brief review of some of the key literature underpinning neighbourhood life-cycle theory and, drawing on some of its principal concepts, proposes two hypothetical neighbourhood life-cycle scenarios, one “pessimistic” and the other “optimistic”, which represent two ends of a full spectrum of neighbourhood life cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people who live alone face particular challenges if they are to age and die well in the place and manner of their choosing. This discussion paper examines the experiences and needs of older people living alone towards the end of life. The paper focuses on the UK, given recent policy and service development initiatives there which emphasize home as a place of support and care; the promotion of independence; ensuring choice and decision making; and equity. These initiatives do not acknowledge diversity in the older population and make little provision to meet the specific needs that older people living alone may have as they approach the end of life. We identify three broader social factors that influence whether older people who live alone can remain at home until the end of their lives. The first factor is the physical environment; the second concerns their material environment; and the third relates to their social environment and their access to informal and formal care services. In future, palliative care research of relevance to older people should consider living arrangements as an important variable and be cognisant of the way in which wider social issues constrain the quality of end-of-life care that those living alone in older age receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing in Place is a key component of UK policy on older people and housing. Helping older people to ‘age in place’ at home is seen to benefit the quality of life and also provide a cost-effective solution to the problems of an expanding population of very old people. However, the reality is not straightforward and in this paper, some results of qualitative research are presented to illustrate the benefits, problems and challenges that exist in relation to Ageing in Place in the United Kingdom. The research is based on qualitative data collected from 40 people age 80–89 in the north-west of England as part of the ENABLE-AGE Project 2002 to 2004. The research suggests that while Ageing in Place may bring social and psychological benefits, there can also be a significant downside on an everyday level. Home in old age can be a place of negative experiences, such as isolation and loneliness and there are often significant weaknesses in terms of informal support, physical environment of the home and neighbourhood and social network, which undermine the person’s ability to live independently. The paper reviews recent UK initiatives to use “telecare” to address some of these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Later life is a diverse experience but for some it is associated with a variety of impairments that impact on quality of life. Attention to date has focused on supporting ageing in place through modification to the home environment to compensate for increasing levels of impairment. This paper explores a further link between later life and the environment beyond the home. In doing so, the paper argues that the disabling impact of the urban environment on older people should be an essential consideration in the urban sustainability debate. A multi-dimensional framework combining sustainable development and ageing in place criteria is used to test the extent to which three sustainable urban environment assessment tools address the issue. The findings suggest that the capacity of an urban environment to support ageing in place is not being assessed as an integral element of a sustainable urban environment. Identifying factors that influence healthy later life will allow the inclusion of a later-life perspective in future urban sustainability planning and assessment models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]