Healthy Ageing in Place: Enablers and Barriers from the Perspective of the Elderly. A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Most elderly people wish to grow old at their own homes. The sociodemographic characteristics; home and neighbourhood conditions; and the social services support and networks are determinants in the possibility of “ageing in place”. The present study aimed to explore the ageing in place phenomenon, as well as the enablers and barriers that interact in a healthy ageing from the perspective of the elderly connected to local entities. Methods: A generic qualitative design was proposed in the Health Region of Girona in Catalonia (Spain). Seventy-one elderly people were purposefully selected. Six focus groups were conducted, and data were thematically analysed. Results: Three key themes were generated: (1) Participants experienced ageing differently. The physical and mental health, the family environment and financial stability were key elements for life quality. (2) The perception of the elderly’s role in the community depended on their age, health status and attitude towards life. (3) The participants identified several enablers and barriers to healthy ageing in place. Conclusions: The promotion of older people’s autonomy and wellbeing, together with the creation of an active network of health and social services, may improve the possibility for elderly to age at home and avoid or delay institutionalisation.

The concept of disability and its causal mechanisms in older people over time from a theoretical perspective: a literature review

“…This indicates that it requires a non-uniform approach tailored to the specific circumstances in different countries or regions (Aspinal et al 2016). Other personal factors can also influence the individual's capacity to age in place, for example the social network or socio-economic status (Bosch-Farré et al 2020;Pani-Harreman et al 2021). Furthermore, it is considered important to acknowledge the individual's needs and wishes alongside their competences.…”

A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Care Arrangements of Older People with Limited Physical Abilities Living Alone in Italy

“…In fact, it represents a living arrangement from which health, as well as social and relational negative consequences, can arise [ 1 ]; in addition, further impacts on the possibility of ageing in place, that is, “elderly people continuing to live at home for as long as possible” exist [ 2 ] (p. 2). Research also underlined that ageing in place is a key component of the quality of life of older people [ 3 ], enabling them to age integrated in their communities, by avoiding or delaying institutionalization until it becomes strictly necessary [ 4 ]. “As people age, they accumulate deficits that are eventually manifested as frailty, disease, or disability” [ 5 ] (p. 17).…”

“…In older ages, both individual factors such as living alone at home without cohabitant family members and with difficulties in carrying out the activities of daily life, and contextual factors such as (un)available formal/informal care arrangements and social supports/networks, should thus be considered. Moreover, according to some authors [ 4 ], poor health, loss of autonomy, and lack of care, among other factors, are barriers to ageing in place. Starting from this framework, with the purpose of exploring the presence and current role of the family and other care arrangements for older people with limited physical functionalities and living alone in Italy, the paper aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) Which main difficulties do older people encounter in carrying out daily living activities in Italy?…”

A Scoping Review of the Implementation of Local Health and Social Services for Older Adults

“…Although many older adults want to age in place ( Kendig et al 2017 ), they encounter challenges such as family problems, lack of financial resources and lack of access to local health and social services (LHSS) ( Bosch-Farré et al 2020 ; Dupuis-Blanchard et al 2015 ). LHSS are primarily community-based and home healthcare services ( Dupuis-Blanchard et al 2015 ; Morley 2012 ; Tang and Pickard 2008 ) provided almost exclusively in specific areas or neighbourhoods (Cambridge Dictionary n.d.).…”