| 1. |
- Haak, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Cross-National User Priorities for Housing Provision and Accessibility - Findings from the European innovAge Project.
- 2015
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1660-4601. ; 12:3, s. 2670-2686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To develop an innovative information and communication technology (ICT) tool intended to help older people in their search for optimal housing solutions, a first step in the development process is to gain knowledge from the intended users. Thus the aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge about needs and expectations about housing options as expressed and prioritized by older people, people ageing with disabilities and professionals. A participatory design focus was adopted; 26 people with a range of functional limitations representing the user perspective and 15 professionals with a variety of backgrounds, participated in research circles that were conducted in four European countries. An additional 20 experts were invited as guests to the different research circle meetings. Three themes illustrating cross-national user priorities for housing provision and accessibility were identified: "Information barrier: accessible housing", "Information barrier: housing adaptation benefits", and "Cost barrier: housing adaptations". In conclusion, early user involvement and identification of cross-national differences in priorities and housing options will strengthen the development of a user-friendly ICT tool that can empower older people and people with disabilities to be more active consumers regarding housing provision.
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| 2. |
- Harschel, Anne K, et al.
(författare)
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Self-rated health among very old people in European countries : An explorative study in Latvia and Sweden
- 2015
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Ingår i: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. - : SAGE Publications. - 2333-7214. ; 1, s. 1-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To explore and gain insight into factors related to self-rated health (SRH) among very old people in two European countries. Methods: The study was based on Latvian (n = 301) and Swedish (n = 397) data from the baseline of the Enabling Autonomy, Participation, and Well-Being in Old Age: The Home Environment as a Determinant for Healthy Ageing Survey Study. Besides descriptive statistics, ordinal regression analysis was used to analyze demographic, physical and mental health-related, functional and environmental factors related to SRH in each sample. Results: In both samples, participants with worse perceived physical mobility and more symptoms were significantly more likely to have worse SRH. There were more diverse results regarding other factors in terms of opposite relations to SRH, comparing the two samples. Discussion: Preventive measures and health care should focus on improving and supporting mobility and physical health among older people. Especially in countries with low scores on indicators of health such as Latvia, to minimize health inequalities. More attention should be paid to factors to improve the general health status of the population.
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| 3. |
- Horstmann, Vibeke, et al.
(författare)
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Life Satisfaction in Older Women in Latvia and Sweden-Relations to Standard of Living, Aspects of Health and Coping Behaviour.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-0719 .- 0169-3816. ; 27:4, s. 391-407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To study and compare associations between life satisfaction and standard of living, health, and coping behaviour in older single-living women in two countries with different political, economical and cultural situations: Latvia and Sweden. Cross sectional data included 260 Latvian and 288 Swedish women, aged 75-84 and 80-89, from the ENABLE-AGE Survey Study. Life satisfaction was assessed by the question: All in all, how satisfied are you with your life? Standard of living was assessed by economic and housing conditions, and health by perceived and objective health and activities in daily living. Three factors, Fight, Helplessness, and Distraction, were obtained from the Coping Patterns Schedule. Correlations between Life satisfaction and standard of living, health, and coping were calculated. The variance in Life satisfaction explained by these variables was obtained in each sample by ordinal regression models. Life satisfaction was significantly lower in the Latvian sample than in the Swedish. Standard of living was lower and health poorer in the younger Latvian sample than in the Swedish, but more of the variance in Life satisfaction was explained in the Latvian sample by standard of living (18 % vs 2 %) and less by health (6 % vs 15 %). Coping factors explained 29 % of the variation in Life satisfaction in the Latvian sample as opposed to 15 % in the Swedish. For single-living older women low standard of living seems to be a more serious obstacle than poor health, making it difficult to obtain a reasonable life satisfaction.
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| 4. |
- Iwarsson, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Importance of the home environment for healthy aging: conceptual and methodological background of the European ENABLE-AGE Project.
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Gerontologist. - 1758-5341. ; 47:1, s. 78-84
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Currently in Europe as well as in the United States, an increasing proportion of very old people remain living in their homes despite declines in physical and mental health. Together with the fact that the population of very old people is rapidly increasing (Mathers, Sadana, Salamon, Murray, Lopez, 2001; United Nations Development Programme, 2001), this poses new challenges to societal planning and housing development (Gitlin, 2003).
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| 5. |
- Iwarsson, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesizing ENABLE-AGE Research Findings to Suggest Evidence-Based Home and Health Interventions
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Housing for the Elderly. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0276-3893 .- 1540-353X. ; 30:3, s. 330-343
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the quest for knowledge translation from research to practice and policy contexts is growing stronger, researchers need to develop strategies for synthesizing research findings. Since home environments constitute an important context for the delivery of health care and social services to older adults and people aging with disabilities, research in this field can serve as an example for such endeavors. Using 35 original publications and one unpublished doctoral dissertation based on the European ENABLE-AGE Project, we aimed to demonstrate a systematic approach to synthesize research findings generated by large research projects as the basis for evidence-based interventions. The synthesized findings highlighted the complex interactions between objective and perceived aspects of housing and aspects of health in very old age, impacting on, for example, residential decision making. Independence in daily activity is influenced by the sociocultural care and service context. A familiar and safe neighborhood, a social network, and a good supply of services are important to perceptions of participation. Going further, we suggest housing-related interventions that address problems and challenges related to ongoing demographic changes. This article contributes to the development of strategies for knowledge translation, connecting research and practice and policy contexts struggling to meet the societal challenges that accompany population aging.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Kylberg, Marianne, et al.
(författare)
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A European Perspective on the Service Delivery Systems for Assistive Technology - Differences and Similarities Between Latvia and Sweden.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-0719 .- 0169-3816. ; 30:1, s. 51-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- National laws and regulations on service delivery systems (SDS) for assistive technology (AT) in Europe aim to support the activity and participation of people with disabilities. The aim of this paper was to study similarities and differences in the SDS for AT of one Eastern and one Western EU member state. The legislation and regulations, and their operationalization were described from the perspective of key actors, with a focus on the ageing population. Semi-structured interviews (N = 14) were conducted in Sweden and Latvia. The informants had various professional backgrounds and organizational roles, and represented different areas of work. Similarities found were connected to legislation and policy, the aim of AT provision, the growth of a private sector and how financial resources affect the SDS. Differences were related to the availability of AT, and to how, and for and by whom the devices were provided, with Latvia prioritizing certain groups over others and excluding older people. In Latvia, despite it not being stated in the legislation, a medical perspective on AT provision was applied, whereas in Sweden, in congruence with the legislation, the perspective was explicitly biopsychosocial. Despite similarities on the legislation and policy level, interpreted based on the perceptions of professionals there are marked differences between Latvia and Sweden in the operationalization of the SDS of AT. To support activity and participation for the ageing population, the services connected to AT need to be carefully thought out and executed, making efficient use of financial resources and professional competencies.
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| 8. |
- Löfqvist, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in Home and Health over Nine Years among very Old People in Latvia – Results from the ENABLE-AGE Project
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0169-3816 .- 1573-0719. ; :1, s. 17-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To meet the needs of an increasing, heterogeneous, ageing population it is imperative to understand links between home and health. In Latvia, only limited research targeting the health and home situation of very old people is available. Consequently, the aim of this study was to describe how the home environment and aspects of health have changed over nine years between 2002 and 2011 for very old people in Latvia, living in their home environment. This study is based on the Latvian part of the cross-national European ENABLE-AGE Project comprising data on objective, as well as perceived, aspects of home and health. Longitudinal data from those involved on both data collection occasions (N = 59) was used. At the nine-year follow-up, participants were between 86 and 90 years of age, still living in their own homes. The results show that not only health aspects varied along the ageing process, objective and perceived aspects of home also changed. The physical as well as the cognitive and emotional bonding to the home significantly increased i.e. aspects of meaning such as familiarity and feeling safe in your home, privacy and independence became more important for the very old participants over time. Life satisfaction increased over the years even though objective health factors decreased. Since aspects of home as well as health can be assumed to impact on the outcome of ageing, the situation for this age group in Latvia must be further studied in order to develop suitable and appropriate social and health services, policies and living conditions.
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| 9. |
- Nygren, Carita, et al.
(författare)
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Relationships between objective and perceived housing in very old age
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Gerontologist. - 1758-5341. ; 47:1, s. 85-95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Our purpose in this study was to explore relationships between aspects of objective and perceived housing in five European samples of very old adults, as well as to investigate whether cross-national comparable patterns exist. Design and Methods: We utilized data from the first wave of the ENABLE-AGE Survey Study. The five national samples totalled 1,918 individuals aged 75 to 89 years. Objective assessments of the home environment covered the number of environmental barriers as well as the magnitude of accessibility problems (an aspect of person-environment fit). To assess perceptions of housing, we used instruments on usability, meaning of home, and housing satisfaction. We also assessed housing-related control. Results: Overall, the results revealed that the magnitude of accessibility problems, rather than the number of physical environmental barriers, was associated with perceptions of activity-oriented aspects of housing. That is, very old people living in more accessible housing perceived their homes as more useful and meaningful in relation to their routines and everyday activities, and they were less dependent on external control in relation to their housing. The patterns of such relationships were similar in the five national samples. Implications: Objective and perceived aspects of housing have to be considered in order to understand the dynamics of aging in place, and the results can be used in practice contexts that target housing for senior citizens.
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| 10. |
- Oswald, Frank, et al.
(författare)
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Relationships between housing and healthy aging in very old age
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Gerontologist. - 1758-5341. ; 47:1, s. 96-107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this work is to examine the relationship between aspects of objective and perceived housing and aspects of healthy aging, defined as independence in daily activities and subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, this research examined the comparability of relationships between housing and healthy aging in the five European countries. Design and Methods: Data were drawn from the ENABLE-AGE Project, from home interviews with a sample of 1,918 very old people aged 75. to 89 years living alone in their own homes in Swedish, German, British, Hungarian and Latvian urban areas. Results: Participants living in better accessible homes, who perceive their home as meaningful and useful, and who think that external influences are not responsible for their housing situation are more independent in daily activities and have a better sense of well-being. Moreover, these results apply to all five national samples. Implications: The findings can widen the perspective when striving for barrier-free building standards, to encompass a holistic approach that takes both objective and perceived aspects of housing into account. Home modification and relocation should not be prescribed, but need to be negotiated with older adults to take into account their personal preferences.
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