As circumstances change, older people carefully gauge what no longer works well for them and make the necessary changes because they are determined to remain engaged in society, says a team led by Dr Sheila Peace of the Open University.
Rather than 'quality of life', the new study speaks of a 'life of quality'. By considering which aspects of their environment are important to them, older people are able to match their needs and wishes closely enough to allow an acceptable level of comfort and flexibility in everyday living.
The study involved groups of older people living in urban and rural areas and in a wide range of settings, from high-rise flats to residential care homes.
For most older people, the home environment is the key location for everyday life. Homes and neighbourhoods are full of personal and social meaning and they affect continuing independence and well-being, says the study.
The research looked at the connection between living environments and how people are able to maintain their identity and well-being, either in ordinary housing or in accommodation specially provided for older people. Dr Peace said: "Our work shows how people often put off the most radical decisions about changing where they live until faced with a crisis.
"For instance, we spoke to a man who had been mugged and treated in hospital. He was then faced with a period of rehabilitation at a residential care home. This experience showed him that he definitely did not want to live in a care home, but he could see the difficulties he would face in his own home. He really needed to know what his housing options were.
"Another man, whose wife found it very difficult to live in their home after a stroke, used his skills as an architect to think through how things could be adapted and tailored to make the place suitable for her to stay in."
Dr Peace continued: "We have called these concerns 'option recognition' and they have led us to understand how older people are just as adept at recognising their environmental options as younger men and women."
She continued: "The crucial question is 'How does environment contribute to a life of quality as you age?' To answer this we have to define environment, and the research shows us how complex this is.
"Environment in its widest sense includes the street, the home, the neighbourhood, as well as the nation and other countries. It has its social aspects, as well as psychological factors ranging from places in our memories and fantasies to issues of attachment, continuity and change, and older people engage with all of these aspects. Our study has shown how these various factors can differ because older people vary so much in terms of age itself, gender and culture. It was important that the research was carried out in different types of location and in varying types of accommodation."
For further information, contact:
Dr Sheila Peace on 01908-654240 (work) or 0208 341 4440 (home), e-mail: s.m.peace@open.ac.uk
Or Lesley Lilley , Rachel Blackford or Anna Hinds at ESRC, on 01793-413032/ 413126/ 413119
Notes for editors
1. The research report 'Environment and Identity in Later Life: a cross-setting study' was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Dr Peace is at the School of Health and Social Welfare, The Open University, MILTON KEYNES MK7 6AA. The project is part of the ESRC's Growing Older Programme (website:http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/gop/index.htm)
2. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It provides independent, high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science and at any time is supporting some 2,000 researchers in academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences to nurture the researchers of tomorrow. More at http://www.esrc.ac.uk