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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people | | Author(s) | Chris Parker, Sarah Barnes, Kevin McKee |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 24, part 6, November 2004 |
| Pages | pp 941-962 |
| Source | http://journals.cambridge.org/ |
| Keywords | Quality of life ; Architectural design ; Amenities ; Care homes ; Nursing homes ; Care home staff ; Attitude ; Evaluation ; Sheffield. |
| Annotation | Older people living in residential and nursing homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. However, there is little knowledge of the impact of regulations and guidelines for care buildings on users' quality of life. The Design in Caring Environment Study (DICE) - funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through its EQUAL (Extending Quality of Life) programme - collected cross sectional data on building design and quality of life in 38 care homes in or near Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Quality of life was assessed using methods which included all residents; staff morale was also assessed. The physical environment was assessed using a new tool, the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM). Significant positive associations were found between several aspects of the built environment and residents' quality of life. There was evidence that a focus on safety and health requirements could be creating risk-averse environments which act against quality of life, particularly for the least frail residents. Staff morale was associated with attributes of a non-institutional environment for residents, rather than with the facilities provided for the staff. The new tool for assessing building design has potential applications in further research and for care pathways. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-041213006 A |
| Classmark | F:59: YB3: R8: KW: LHB: QRM: DP: 4C: 85C |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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