New Research Summary from InformeDesign: Promoting Aging in Place


This week’s research summaries from InformeDesign include a study that “analyzed whether community and housing resources supported aging in place in two Iowa communities (urban and rural), and identified factors related to elderly individuals’ decision to make assistive home modifications.” Click HERE to read the full research summary.

The most popular modification was the addition of handrails to stairs and steps; though the summary does not specify whether these modifications occurred indoors or out, the research may shed light on numerous ways that landscape designers can make homes safer and more usable for the elderly, thus enabling them to remain in their homes for a longer period of time. 

Full Citation: Cook, Christine C., Mary H. Yearns, and Peter Martin (2005). “Aging in Place: Home Modifications Among Rural and Urban Elderly.” American Association of Housing Educators: Housing and Society. Vol. 32 (1), pp. 85-106.