Relationships Between Supportive Physical Home Environment and Participation in Life Activities Amongst Community-Living, Older Australians

Abstract

Objective: To investigate if there are associations between physical measures of home supportiveness and participation in life activities for older Australians. Method: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional study data from the Home and Independent Living (HAIL) study. This study used a postal survey, home interview and interviewer-rated home assessment data of 202 NSW residents aged over 75 years. Data were analysed using SPSS to determine associations between variables related to supportive home features and frequency of participation in activities. Results: Homes reviewed in this study demonstrated low levels of supportive built environmental features. There were no significant associations between having a relatively more supportive home and participating more frequently in activities. Conclusions: Older Australians in this study were participating in a range of activities despite having homes that were not considered supportive using objective measures. This may suggest that current standardised measures of home features are not sufficient to determine how supportive homes are to ensure the participation of older people. Further Australian research exploring relationships between participation and the perceptions of older people about their home supportiveness; participation and home features of people who have functional issues; and participation and combined home and neighbourhood features is needed to fully understand home supportiveness.