Towards Elderly-Friendly Home Environments in Egypt: Exploring Elderly Challenges, Needs, and Adaptive Strategies to Promote Aging in Place

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University.

2 Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University

Abstract

The aging population is rising globally, affecting the built environment, social welfare, and community services. Egypt is expected to witness significant demographic changes, leading to a rise in the elderly population. This increase drives designers, stakeholders, and policymakers to know elderly needs and interpret them into designs for environments, services, facilities, and products. This paper focuses on the home environments as the elderly tend to stay in their homes under the concept of "Aging in Place". Egyptian home environments are mostly built according to cost, laws, spaces, standards, and contractors' desires, without taking into consideration changing needs across the life span of people. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to identify the essential needs of the elderly within their home environments. The human-centered design approach was adopted to explore the life experiences of a group of Elderly; by holding deep interviews to investigate their insights about aging in their homes, analyze the challenges they faced, and how can they adapt to these challenges within their home environments. The interviews were analyzed using a "thematic analysis" approach. The results revealed the main factors that present participants’ insights about aging in place. Results also demonstrated the elderly needs in their home environments and categorized them into three essential needs; safety, support, and well-being. Understanding the elderly needs can aid architects, designers, and stakeholders to create elderly-friendly home environments; that enable the Elderly to continue living in their current homes safely and independently and maintain or improve their quality of life.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

1-    Agee, P., O’brien, W., Day, J., & Brackley, C. (2020). Toward a user-centered built environment. Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 26(9), 1163-1164.
2-    Ahmed, D., El Shair, I. H., Taher, E., & Zyada, F. (2014). Prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety among the elderly population living in geriatric homes in Cairo, Egypt. The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 89(3), 127-135.‏
3-    Al-Tarazi, D. (2021). “What Makes a House a Home?”: A Theoretical Model for the Architectural Design of Homes Based on Human Psychological Needs to Support and Promote Users’ Psychological Well-being (Doctoral dissertation, University of the West of England, Bristol).
4-    Andy, D. (2014). Building for everyone: A universal design approach. Centre for Excellence in Universal Design National Disability Authority, 5, 15.
5-    Babbie, E. (2007). The practice of social research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
6-    Bayer, A. H., & Harper, L. (2000). Fixing to stay: A national survey of housing and home modification issues. AARP.
7-    Bigonnesse, C. (2017). The role of the socio-physical environment on aging in place for older adults in cohousing and naturally occurring retirement communities (Doctoral dissertation, Arts & Social Sciences: Department of Gerontology).
8-    Bigonnesse, C., & Chaudhury, H. (2020). The landscape of “aging in place” in gerontology literature: Emergence, theoretical perspectives, and influencing factors. Journal of Aging and Environment, 34(3), 233-251
9-    Binette, Joanne. (2021). Home and Community Preference Survey: A National Survey of Adults Age 18-Plus. Washington, DC: AARP Research, November 2021. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00479.001
10- Boyce, C. and Neale, P. (2006) Conducting In-Depth Interview: A Guide for Designing and Conducting In-Depth Interviews for Evaluation Input. Pathfinder International Tool Series, Monitoring and Evaluation-2.
http://www.pathfind.org/site/DocServer/m_e_tool_series_indepth_interviews.pdf?docID=6301
11- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
12- Buchanan, R. (2001). Human dignity and human rights: Thoughts on the principles of human-centered design. Design issues, 17(3), 35-39.
13- CAPMS. (2014). Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, The magazine 87, Population Magazine, research & studies, Available at: https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/Researchs.aspx?page_id=5031.
14- CAPMS. (2023). Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Population clock (live), Available at: http://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/populationClock.aspx. Accessed 28th April 2023.
15- Carlson, J. A. (2010). Avoiding traps in member checking. Qualitative Report, 15(5), 1102-1113. Retrieved from: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR15-5/carlson.pdf
16- Chan, H. W. (2014). " Aging in place" under the redevelopment of public housing estate in Hong Kong. HKU Theses Online (HKUTO). Retrieved from https:// doi.org/10.5353/th_b5334489
17- Chappell, N. L., Dlitt, B. H., Hollander, M. J., Miller, J. A., & McWilliam, C. (2004). Comparative costs of home care and residential care. The Gerontologist, 44(3), 389-400.
18- Charles, S. T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2010). Social and emotional aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 383-409.
19- Chau, H. W., & Jamei, E. (2021). Age-Friendly Built Environment. Encyclopedia, 1(3), 781-791.
20- Chaudhury H, Oswald F (2019) Advancing understanding of person-environment interaction in later life: one step further. J Aging Stud 51:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100821
21- Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
22- Dovjak, M., Shukuya, M., & Krainer, A. (2018). User-centred healing-oriented conditions in the design of hospital environments. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(10), 2140.
23- Engel, J. F., Blackwell, R. D., & Miniard, P. W. (1993). Consumer Behavior. New York: Dreyden Press.
24- Farage, M. A., Miller, K. W., Ajayi, F., & Hutchins, D. (2012). Design principles to accommodate older adults. Global journal of health science, 4(2), 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v4n2p2
25- Franklin, N. C., & Tate, C. A. (2009). Lifestyle and successful aging: An overview. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 3(6), 6-11
26- Giacomin, J. (2014). What Is Human-Centered Design? The Design Journal, 17(4), 606-623.
27- Golant, S. M. (2011). The changing residential environments of older people. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (7th ed., pp. 207–220). New York: Academic Press.
28- Grabowski, D. C. (2006). The cost-effectiveness of noninstitutional long-term care services: Review and synthesis of the most recent evidence. Medical care research and review, 63(1), 3-28.
29- Hansen, E. B., & Gottschalk, G. (2006). What makes older people consider moving house and what makes them move? Housing, Theory and Society, 23(01), 34-54.
30- Horgas, A. L., Wilms, H. U., & Baltes, M. M. (1998). Daily life in very old age: Everyday activities as expression of successful living. The Gerontologist, 38(5), 556-568.
31- ISO. (2019). International Organization for Standardization. Geneva, Switzerland: ISO 9241-210:2019 Ergonomics of human-system interaction -- Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/77520.html
32- Jones, N. N. (2016). Narrative Inquiry in Human-Centered Design: Examining Silence and Voice to Promote Social Justice in Design Scenarios. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 46(4), 471–492. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281616653489
33- Judd, B., Olsberg, D., Quinn, J., Groenhart, L., & Demirbilek, O. (2010). Dwelling, land and neighbourhood use by older homeowners. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 144, 1-323.
34- Kaklauskas, A., & Gudauskas, R. (2016). Intelligent decision-support systems and the Internet of Things for the smart built environment. In Start-Up Creation (pp. 413-449). Woodhead Publishing.
35- Kylén, M., Von Koch, L., Pessah-Rasmussen, H., Marcheschi, E., Ytterberg, C., Heylighen, A., & Elf, M. (2019). The importance of the built environment in person-Centred rehabilitation at home: study protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2409.
36- Lak, A., Rashidghalam, P., Myint, P. K., & Baradaran, H. R. (2020). Comprehensive 5P framework for active aging using the ecological approach: an iterative systematic review. BMC public health, 20(1), 1-22.‏
37- Lawton, M.P., and L. Nahemow. 1973. Ecology and the aging process. In The psychology of adult development and aging, ed. C. Eisdorfer and M.P. Lawton, 619–674. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
38- Lesthaeghe, R.J. (2015). Second Demographic Transition. Blackwell Encycl. Social., 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeoss059.pub2
39- Lewis, C., & Buffel, T. (2020). Aging in place and the places of aging: A longitudinal study. Journal of aging studies, 54, 100870.
40- Madigan, M. L. (2006). Age-related differences in muscle power during single-step balance recovery. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 22(3), 186-193.‏
41- Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 9(3).
42- Maslow, A and Lowery, R (1998). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Wiley and Sons
43- Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological review, 50(4), 370.‏
44- Mason, M. (2010). Sample Size and Saturation in PhD Studies Using Qualitative Interviews. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-11.3.1428
45- Moore, K. D., & Ekerdt, D. J. (2011). Age and the cultivation of place. Journal of Aging Studies, 3(25), 189-192.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.03.010
46- Morse, J. M. (2000). Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1), 3-5. doi:10.1177/104973200129118183
47- Mostafa, M. H. A. T. (2013). The old people in Egypt, case study (Ismailia Governorate). Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. Cairo, Egypt.‏
48- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663.
49- Odejimi, O., Tadros, G. & Sabry, N. (2020). A systematic review of the prevalence of mental and neurocognitive disorders amongst older adults’ populace in Egypt. Middle East Curr Psychiatry 27, 47 https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-020-00055-8
50- Oswald, F., & Wahl, H. W. (2004). Housing and health in later life. Reviews on environmental health, 19(3-4), 223-252.‏
51- Oswald, F., Wahl, H. W., Schilling, O., Nygren, C., Fänge, A., Sixsmith, A., ... & Iwarsson, S. (2007). Relationships between housing and healthy ageing aspects in very old age: Results from the ENABLE-AGE Project. Gerontologist, 47, 97-107.‏
52- Parijat, P., & Lockhart, T. E. (2012). Effects of movable platform training in preventing slip-induced falls in older adults. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 40(5), 1111- 1121.
53- Patnaik, D. and Becker, R. (2010), “Needfinding: The Why and How of Uncovering People’s Needs”, Design Management Journal (Former Series), Wiley-Blackwell, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 37–43.
54- Pavol, M. J., & Pai, Y.-C. (2007). Deficient limb support is a major contributor to age differences in falling. Journal of Biomechanics, 40, 1318-1325
55- Rowles, G. D., & Bernard, M. (2013). The meaning and significance of place in old age (No. 24, p. 3). New York, NY: Springer.
56- Saldana, J. (2012). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage. (Original work published 2009)
57- Scharlach AE, Diaz Moore K (2016) Aging in place. In: Bengston VL, Settersten RA (eds) Handbook of theories of aging, 3rd edn. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY, pp 407–425
58- Stafford, G. E., & Carter, H. C. (2021). Late-Life Accumulation, Proliferation, and Stagnation of Home Contents: An In-Depth Qualitative Study of Ten Aging in Place Dwellers. Journal of Aging and Environment, 35(2), 161-187.‏
59- Stones, D., & Gullifer, J. (2016). ‘At home it's just so much easier to be yourself’: older adults' perceptions of ageing in place. Ageing & Society, 36(3), 449-481.
60- Sweed, H. S. (2016). Population ageing-Egypt report. Middle East Journal of Age and Ageing, 13(2), 10-17.
61- Thorson, J. A. (2000). Aging in a changing society (2nd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel.
62- UN. (2013). United Nations, World Population Ageing 2013; United Nations publication, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division: New York, NY, USA.
63- UN. (2017). United Nations, World Population Ageing. Report, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York.
64- UN. (2019). United Nations, 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects; United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division: New York, NY, USA.
65- Vasunilashorn, S., Steinman, B. A., Liebig, P. S., & Pynoos, J. (2012). Aging in place: Evolution of a research topic whose time has come. Journal of Aging Research, 2012.
66- Wahl H-W, Oswald F (2016) Theories of environmental gerontology: old and new avenues for person-environmental views of aging. In: Bengston VL, Settersten RA (eds) Handbook of theories of aging, 3rd edn. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY, pp 621–641
67- WDA. (2021). World Data Atlas, Egypt - Total fertility rate, Available at: https://knoema.com/atlas/Egypt/topics/Demographics/Fertility/Fertility-rate, Accessed 6th December 2021.
68- WHO. (2001). World Health Organization. “International Classification of Functioning”, available at: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health (accessed 1 September 2022)
69- WHO. (2007). World Health Organization, Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide; World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43755
70- WHO. (2015a). World Health Organization, Measuring the age-friendliness of cities: a guide to using core indicators. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/203830
71- WHO. (2015b). World Health Organization. World report on ageing and health. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/186463
72- Wiles, J. L., Leibing, A., Guberman, N., Reeve, J., & Allen, R. E. (2012). The meaning of “aging in place” to older people. The gerontologist, 52(3), 357-366.
73- Woodrow, P. (2002). Skin, muscles, and bones. In P. Woodrow (Ed.), Ageing: Issues for physical, psychological and social health (pp. 28-44). London: Whurr Publishers.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics