Home and Health in the Third Age — Methodological Background and Descriptive Findings

Abstract

Background: The understanding of the complex relationship between the home environment, well-being and daily functioning in the third age is currently weak. The aim of this paper is to present the methodological background of the Home and Health in the Third Age Study, and describe a sample of men and women in relation to their home and health situation. Methods and Design: The study sample included 371 people aged 67–70, living in ordinary housing in the south of Sweden. Structured interviews and observations were conducted to collect data about objective and perceived aspects of home and health. Results: The majority of the participants were in good health and had few functional limitations. Women had more functional limitations and reported more symptoms than men. Environmental barriers were found in every home investigated; the most were found in the kitchen and hygiene area. Environmental barriers were more common in multi-family than in one-family dwellings. Discussion: This study will increase our knowledge on home and health dynamics among people in the third age. The results have potential to contribute to societal planning related to housing provision, home care and social services for senior citizens.

Relationships between perceived aspects of home and symptoms in a cohort aged 67–70

“…That is, rather than using definitions based on chronological age, the fourth age is characterized by frailty, cognitive decline and functional loss while the third age is characterized by independence, social engagement and good health (Lennartsson & Heimerson, 2012;Philips, Ajrouch, & Hillcoat-Nallètamby 2010). Considering the results of the present study, it is quite clear that the vast majority (79%) of people aged 67-70 do not report any ADL difficulty, reflecting that our sample to a high extent represents the third age (see Kylén et al, 2014). Still, around half of them or more report having symptoms ( Table 3), indicating that there are health problems that need attention -not the least in relation to perceived aspect of home (Table 4).…”

“…However, with an attrition of about 44% it cannot be ruled out that the results might be somewhat biased. Since our study builds upon a randomly chosen population-based sample (see Kylén et al, 2014) it is nevertheless unlikely that the results would be distorted, which allows us to interpret the generalizability as sufficient. In order to further the knowledge on the association of home and health as related to the dynamics of the third and fourth ages, studies comparing the situation of older and very old people are called for.…”

Associations among housing accessibility, housing-related control beliefs and independence in activities of daily living: a cross-sectional study among younger old in Sweden

“…We conducted a cross-sectional study focusing on housing and health in a sub-sample of 371 participants from the 67-70 years old cohort from the Gott Åldrande i Skåne (GÅS) [Good Aging in Skåne] project (Kylén et al 2014), which is part of the Swedish National Study of Aging and Care (SNAC) (Ekström and Elmståhl 2006;Lagergren et al 2004). Data on age, sex, marital status, ADL, housing accessibility and HCB were collected as part of the cross-sectional Home and Health in the Third Age Study (2010-2011).…”

“…Data on age, sex, marital status, ADL, housing accessibility and HCB were collected as part of the cross-sectional Home and Health in the Third Age Study (2010-2011). For eligibility see (Kylén et al 2014). Data on geographical location, level of education and financial situation were collected as part of the general SNAC-GÅS study (2008)(2009)(2010).…”

Sustainable Lifestyle Change—Participatory Design of Support Together with Persons with Obesity in the Third Age

“…As a result, we can expect health consequences in an ageing population. A Swedish national study of ageing and care (SNAC) shows that people in third age (characterized by good health, independence, and social engagement) were in overall good health and had few functional limitations [9]. The challenge of an increasing life expectancy is to remain healthy and to extend the third age, so that the fourth age (the remainder of the lifespan), which is characterised by frailty, functional loss, and cognitive decline, becomes shorter [10,11].…”