The importance of a room with a view for older people with limited mobility

Abstract

This paper examines how older people who are almost entirely housebound use a view from their window to make sense of the world and stay connected to the outside space that they cannot physically inhabit. • Design/methodology/approach (mandatory) Semi-structured interviews with 42 individuals were carried out who were living at home, were relatively immobile and had an interesting view outside they liked from one or more of their windows. • Findings (mandatory). The findings suggest immobile older people enjoy watching a motion-full, changing, world going on outside of their own mobility and interact and create meaning and sense, relating themselves to the outside world. • Practical implications (if applicable) Findings suggest those working in health and social care must realise the importance of older people observing the outdoors and create situations where that is enabled and maintained through improving vantage points and potentially using technology. • Originality/value (mandatory) This study builds, and updates work by Rowles (1981) showing that preference for views from the window involve the immediate surveillance zone but also further afield. The view can be rural or urban but should include a human element from which older people can interact through story-telling. The view often contains different flows, between mundane and mystery and intrigue, and between expected and random.

‘It's our pleasure, we count cars here’: an exploration of the ‘neighbourhood-based connections’ for people living alone with dementia

“…Many of the people we spoke to commented on how it felt when a quiet atmosphere descended upon their local area, sometimes as a result of being left behind when others went off to work or school during the day. Other studies have found that windows were sources for informal interactions and a sense of belonging by getting a smile through the window for older people with limited mobility (May and Muir, 2015;Musselwhite, 2018) and for people living with dementia (Ward et al, 2018). Just to hear voices or see children playing outside gave hope and a sense of connection, especially for the women to whom we spoke.…”

Older Adults With Cognitive and/or Physical Impairments Can Benefit From Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences: A Feasibility Study

“…For example, it has been reported that in clinical settings, viewing natural scenery (e.g., ornamental indoor plants or a bedside window view of trees) can reduce hospital length-of-stay and reduce the use of pharmaceuticals (18,19,22,23). It has also been shown that housebound older adults often use a view from their window to stay connected to the outside space that they cannot physically explore (24). Therefore, it would be highly advantageous to identify novel methods of providing older adults with new experiences and exposure to natural scenes, while accounting for barriers to mobility and autonomy as well as concerns for safety.…”

Neighbourhood nursing : connection, place and meaning in the everyday experience of dementia

“…The visual link of observing the neighbourhood (from the balcony and/or window) in the moment created a sense of belonging to the lived neighbourhood where life and movement were ongoing (study II). A body of research aligns with these findings and has also shown that windows were resources that upheld a sense of belonging to the wider world outside, for example, by getting a smile through the window for older people (Coleman & Kearns, 2015;May & Muir, 2015;Musselwhite, 2018) and for people living with dementia (Ward et al, 2018). To see other people moving and interact with them creates meaning, especially for people living with dementia (Ashworth, 2006).…”