The impact of a refurbishment programme on older people living in sheltered housing

The impact of a refurbishment programme on older people living in sheltered housing Zeibeda (Zeb) Sattar, Stephanie Wilkie, Jonathan Ling Housing, Care and Support, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- This paper aims to explore residents' perceptions of a refurbishment programme to sheltered housing schemes and its impact on their well-being. The methodology draws upon a realist evaluation framework. Four participatory appraisals (PAs) and 19 interviews with residents were conducted in the sheltered housing schemes. Ages of participants ranged from 50 to 99 years. Two categories of residents were identified: healthy active older adults and older frail adults (or over 85+). Residents said their social and emotional well-being improved from the provision of indoor and outdoor communal areas. Older frail residents only accessed the new communal spaces when staff took them in their wheelchairs. The physical changes increased opportunities for social connections for residents. Conservatories and sensory gardens were most popular. Residents felt that structured activities in the new spaces and digital training would improve their social activities. The participatory methods spanned over an hour, and some residents felt too tired to complete the full session. A practical limitation was that some sensory rooms were not fully completed at the time of the evaluation. This paper adds the following: Perceptions of residents o...
Source: Housing, Care and Support - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research