Abstract
Purpose: Building on the disablement process model and the concept of person-environment fit (p-e fit), this review article examines 2 critical questions concerning the role of home environments: (a) What is the recent evidence supporting a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes? and (b) What is the recent evidence regarding the effects of home modifications on disability-related outcomes? Design and Methods: Using computerized and manual search, we identified relevant peer-reviewed original publications and review articles published between January 1, 1997, and August 31, 2006. For Research Question 1, 25 original investigations and for Research Question 2, 29 original investigations and 10 review articles were identified. Results: For Research Question 1, evidence for a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes for older adults exists but is limited by cross-sectional designs and poor research quality. For Research Question 2, evidence based on randomized controlled trials shows that improving home environments enhances functional ability outcomes but not so much falls-related outcomes. Some evidence also exists that studies using a p-e fit perspective result in more supportive findings than studies that do not use this framework. Implications: Considerable evidence exists that supports the role of home environments in the disablement process, but there are also inconsistencies in findings across studies. Future research should optimize psychometric properties of home environment assessment tools and explore the role of both objective characteristics and perceived attributions of home environments to understand person-environment dynamics and their impact on disability-related outcomes in old age.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 355-367 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Gerontologist |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Activities of daily living
- Disablement process
- Falls
- Home modification
- Literature review
- Old age
- Person-environment fit
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Gerontology
Cite this
The home environment and disability-related outcomes in aging individuals : What is the empirical evidence? / Wahl, Hans Werner; Fänge, Agneta; Oswald, Frank; Gitlin, Laura N; Iwarsson, Susanne.
In: Gerontologist, Vol. 49, No. 3, 06.2009, p. 355-367.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The home environment and disability-related outcomes in aging individuals
T2 - What is the empirical evidence?
AU - Wahl, Hans Werner
AU - Fänge, Agneta
AU - Oswald, Frank
AU - Gitlin, Laura N
AU - Iwarsson, Susanne
PY - 2009/6
Y1 - 2009/6
N2 - Purpose: Building on the disablement process model and the concept of person-environment fit (p-e fit), this review article examines 2 critical questions concerning the role of home environments: (a) What is the recent evidence supporting a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes? and (b) What is the recent evidence regarding the effects of home modifications on disability-related outcomes? Design and Methods: Using computerized and manual search, we identified relevant peer-reviewed original publications and review articles published between January 1, 1997, and August 31, 2006. For Research Question 1, 25 original investigations and for Research Question 2, 29 original investigations and 10 review articles were identified. Results: For Research Question 1, evidence for a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes for older adults exists but is limited by cross-sectional designs and poor research quality. For Research Question 2, evidence based on randomized controlled trials shows that improving home environments enhances functional ability outcomes but not so much falls-related outcomes. Some evidence also exists that studies using a p-e fit perspective result in more supportive findings than studies that do not use this framework. Implications: Considerable evidence exists that supports the role of home environments in the disablement process, but there are also inconsistencies in findings across studies. Future research should optimize psychometric properties of home environment assessment tools and explore the role of both objective characteristics and perceived attributions of home environments to understand person-environment dynamics and their impact on disability-related outcomes in old age.
AB - Purpose: Building on the disablement process model and the concept of person-environment fit (p-e fit), this review article examines 2 critical questions concerning the role of home environments: (a) What is the recent evidence supporting a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes? and (b) What is the recent evidence regarding the effects of home modifications on disability-related outcomes? Design and Methods: Using computerized and manual search, we identified relevant peer-reviewed original publications and review articles published between January 1, 1997, and August 31, 2006. For Research Question 1, 25 original investigations and for Research Question 2, 29 original investigations and 10 review articles were identified. Results: For Research Question 1, evidence for a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes for older adults exists but is limited by cross-sectional designs and poor research quality. For Research Question 2, evidence based on randomized controlled trials shows that improving home environments enhances functional ability outcomes but not so much falls-related outcomes. Some evidence also exists that studies using a p-e fit perspective result in more supportive findings than studies that do not use this framework. Implications: Considerable evidence exists that supports the role of home environments in the disablement process, but there are also inconsistencies in findings across studies. Future research should optimize psychometric properties of home environment assessment tools and explore the role of both objective characteristics and perceived attributions of home environments to understand person-environment dynamics and their impact on disability-related outcomes in old age.
KW - Activities of daily living
KW - Disablement process
KW - Falls
KW - Home modification
KW - Literature review
KW - Old age
KW - Person-environment fit
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67249139361&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=67249139361&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/geront/gnp056
DO - 10.1093/geront/gnp056
M3 - Article
VL - 49
SP - 355
EP - 367
JO - The Gerontologist
JF - The Gerontologist
SN - 0016-9013
IS - 3
ER -