Two interesting poster presentations on home design in later life are available in the published program abstracts from the 21st International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics World Congress. The first is about the outcomes of planning (or not) to move to a more suitably designed house in later life, and the second is about academia working with consumers and the construction industry to introduce universal design features into home renovations and repairs.
Planning for moves in late life: who plans and how does planning influence outcomes?, shifts the focus from staying put to moving so that people can age-in-the-right place. Poor health was the main reason for not planning a move, and wanting to live closer to children was the main reason for a planned move. The abstract ends, “The current study illustrates the relative benefits of planned moves among older adults. While planning is not always possible, as in cases of sudden illness situations, older adults should be encouraged to engage in planning for residential moves by healthcare professionals to help them better adjust to a new living environment.” Read more by going to the link above.
Educating home contractors on universal design modifications: an academia and corporate collaboration, investigates whether educating homeowners about universal design influenced any repairs they made following a home insurance claim. The researchers found that almost all homeowners included UD features and this lead to a voluntary 6- week online training program to educate contractors who work with customers to discuss and promote UD with policy holders at the time of a claim. Read more by going to the link above.