Housing Characteristics and the Well-Being of Elderly Tenants in Federally Assisted Housing

Abstract

The relationship between sponsorship, community size, building size (number of dwelling units) and height of building, on the one hand, and six indices of well-being of elderly tenants, on the other, was examined in a study of 2457 subjects from 154 federally-assisted housing projects. Control was exercised on a variety of personal variables prior to the examination of the environmental relationships to well-being. Private nonprofit sponsorship was associated with higher friendship scores and greater activity participation. Tenants in smaller communities had higher friendship scores, greater housing satisfaction, and greater activity participation. Housing satisfaction was greater in projects that were smaller in terms of total number of units but was not related to size when size was defined in terms of elderly-designated units. Thus, only marginal support for Barker's undermanning hypothesis was found. Greater height of building was associated with lower housing satisfaction and less neighborhood motility.

Pathways from Physical Activity to Quality of Life in Older Women

“…Each scale item is rated on a 7-point scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (7), with higher scores representing greater life satisfaction. In a review of SWLS research, Pavot and Diener (12) suggested that the measure successfully detects change in life satisfaction over time and the course of clinical interventions.…”

“…However, the earlier social psychological literature would suggest that QOL as a global construct, rather than reflecting health status constructs, is represented by an overall satisfaction, or happiness, with one’s life (6,7). Physical functioning and physical health status variables are more proximal indicators of overall QOL (8,9,10).…”

The Consequences of Living in High-Rise Buildings

“…Studies of the elderly in high rises versus low rises have produced mixed results. A nationwide U.S. study of the elderly found that residents of low buildings liked their housing more than residents of taller buildings, although the magnitude of this effect was quite small (Lawton, Nahemow & Teaff, 1975). A much smaller study of elderly persons who were randomly assigned to high-and low-rises reported a small difference in morale that favoured high rises over low rises (Duffy & Willson, 1984).…”

Architectural Predictors of Housing Satisfaction Among Urban Elderly Men

“…Within this body of research, size of the housing unit and the subjective or psychological value of the home have emerged as central determinants of housing satisfaction among the elderly. Overly large dwelling structures are associated with dissatisfaction in private (Lawton et al, 1978) as well as public housing (Lawton et a]., 1975). The presence of central heating and a modem structure (Lawton, 1980b) as well as a perceived ambience or pleasantness of a dwelling unit (Lawton et al, 1978) promote satisfaction with housing.…”