Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Impact of Housing Modification/Adaptation for Supporting Older People at Home: An Introduction

Foreword to Special Issue of Journal of Aging and Environment

The desire of older people to age in place and government policies intended to support people living in their own homes suggests that future-proofing this environment is fundamental to improving person-environment congruence at a time of global aging. The UK-initiated genHOME network, founded by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, promoted the health and well-being of older and disabled people and their families through the co-ordination and dissemination of international research on home modification or adaptation and housing design. In 2017, researchers attached to the network from five developed countries with diverse housing types, tenure, space standards, regulations and funding opportunities took part in a symposium at the IAGG World Congress, debating empirical research and common priorities. The symposium was chaired by the editors of this Special Edition of the Journal of Aging and Environment. Aiming to inform national and international policy there is recognition of diversity in the evidence presented, and a need for consistent methodology and outcome measures (see Adams & Hodges, 2018). The introduction and discussion address the priorities raised, including: housing design and environmental barriers, financing adaptations (public and private), user satisfaction with adaptations, concern over housing assets, developing robust assessment tools, and the future of inclusive design. Finally, consideration is given to whether current understanding of culturally specific home adaptations can lead to wider discussion of more inclusive design and architectural practice for new build housing, and how this relates to population growth in times of climate change.