Importance of the Home Environment for Healthy Aging: Conceptual and Methodological Background of the European ENABLE–AGE Project

Extract

Currently in Europe as well as in the United States, an increasing proportion of very old people remain living in their homes despite declines in physical and mental health. Together with the fact that the population of very old people is rapidly increasing (Mathers, Sadana, Salamon, Murray, & Lopez, 2001; United Nations Development Programme, 2001), this poses new challenges to societal planning and housing development (Gitlin, 2003).

In addition, the home environment is a major arena for aging research focusing on objective as well as perceived housing and relying on both quantitative and qualitative methods (Scheidt & Windley, 2006). As earlier research has consistently shown, daily activities are predominantly performed in the home and its close surroundings. As people grow older, they spend relatively more time in their homes; on average, very old people tend to spend 80% of their time at home (Baltes, Maas, Wilms, Borchelt, & Little, 1999). Strong cognitive and affective ties to the home environment are formed as people age, and, as a consequence, aging in place and preventing relocation are among the strongest needs of older adults as well as their families (Gitlin, 2003). Thus, an important goal in health promotion is to create home environments that support healthy aging.