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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.
Adriana Luciano; Federica Pascale; Francesco Polverino; Alison Pooley. Measuring Age-Friendly Housing: A Framework. Sustainability 2020, 12, 848 .
AMA StyleAdriana Luciano, Federica Pascale, Francesco Polverino, Alison Pooley. Measuring Age-Friendly Housing: A Framework. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (3):848.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdriana Luciano; Federica Pascale; Francesco Polverino; Alison Pooley. 2020. "Measuring Age-Friendly Housing: A Framework." Sustainability 12, no. 3: 848.
Current forecasts predict that, in line with increasing global populations and extended life expectancy, older adults will dominate the population structure. To accommodate this demographic shift, governmental policies point to ‘ageing in place’ as key. This article outlines research findings of an initial investigation into the uptake of technology to support ‘ageing in place’. The study sets out to identify both incentives and barriers to the uptake under four key activity criteria— medical, monitoring, mobility and social—at three built environment scales—home, street and neighbourhood, for urban, semi-urban and rural locations—to support older adults to live independently in their community. Results show that whilst there are significant and justified concerns over the limitations of physical conditions to support ‘ageing in place’, most physical conditions along with age are not barriers to the uptake of technology, as uptake is high regardless of circumstances. However, the study revealed that uptake is dependent on level of training, if shown to lead to increasing independence, includes a level of ‘enjoyment of use’, and does not replace existing physical relationships. The study also identified that there is limited research around the use of technology for either mobility or social activities outside the home; rather, research focus is concerned with medical monitoring in the home. Finally, research overlooks the role of geographic demographics to support ‘ageing in place’. The results of this research can provide useful guidelines co-created with older adults for the development of new policies to ‘ageing in place’.
Julie Futcher; Federica Pascale; Alison Pooley; Sally-Anne Francis. Current Uptake of Technology Related to the Built Environment to Support Older Adults to Live Independently in Their Community. Urban Planning 2019, 4, 70 -82.
AMA StyleJulie Futcher, Federica Pascale, Alison Pooley, Sally-Anne Francis. Current Uptake of Technology Related to the Built Environment to Support Older Adults to Live Independently in Their Community. Urban Planning. 2019; 4 (2):70-82.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulie Futcher; Federica Pascale; Alison Pooley; Sally-Anne Francis. 2019. "Current Uptake of Technology Related to the Built Environment to Support Older Adults to Live Independently in Their Community." Urban Planning 4, no. 2: 70-82.
Our built environment has a significant impact on energy consumption, resource depletion, and ecological degradation—reducing this impact is imperative. Existing policies and research are dominated by the assumption that increased regulation, and an improvement in professional skills and knowledge, will address these issues. Conventional attempts at improving dissemination of good practice have been found wanting as the construction industry makes slow progress towards environmental responsibility. Environmental responsibility is defined by the author as being accountable for one’s actions that in turn affect the conditions under which life is developed. This chapter argues for looking beyond a technical or regulatory fix, by exploring the potential opportunities for change that lie within the relationships between experience, learning, and the transformation of individual and professional perspectives. The emphasis of the research is placed on examining current practice in order to respond to profligate energy and material use, whilst addressing the wider ethical and environmental responsibilities of equity and fairness. The chapter outlines research based on twenty-two intensive interviews with individuals who worked on building projects with a clear commitment to an environmental agenda, beyond that required by building regulation. Individual experiences are explored through nine key emergent themes, which in turn inform opportunities for future transformations in perspective and practice. Understanding individual learning is critical in creating future environments, where organisations and individuals can experience a transformation beyond acquiring skills and knowledge. Building on existing theories of transformative learning, social learning, and pro-environmental behaviour, this research informs the role non-formal learning can play in developing strategies orientated towards sustainable development and aims to engender a deeper understanding of the potential for learning and transformation within the construction industry, the emphasis being on greater environmental responsibility.
Alison Pooley. Things Change: Exploring Transformational Experiences Within the UK Construction Industry. Building Information Modelling, Building Performance, Design and Smart Construction 2017, 223 -240.
AMA StyleAlison Pooley. Things Change: Exploring Transformational Experiences Within the UK Construction Industry. Building Information Modelling, Building Performance, Design and Smart Construction. 2017; ():223-240.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlison Pooley. 2017. "Things Change: Exploring Transformational Experiences Within the UK Construction Industry." Building Information Modelling, Building Performance, Design and Smart Construction , no. : 223-240.