Designing for the Life Span Segment 4
Designing for the Life Span Segment 4 
Previous Slide Next Slide Segment
Index Home First Slide Last Slide
Remaining in one's own home is critical to overall health and well-being. A person's sense of control over their life and their destiny is largely dependent upon having choices...
One of the goals with respect to aging that has widespread acceptance in the United States is that of making it possible for older people to age in place- to grow older in a residence of their choice for as long as they wish to remain there. This poses numerous problems for older adults, aside from the necessity of moves related to occupation and other socio/economic conditions of life. Age related physiological change commences in the fortieth year with the onset of hearing loss. Substantial muscle and skeletal changes are discernible in the 70s. These physical changes alter a person's relationship to environment and beget an inexorable change in behavior and coping strategies. Of significance is the growing number of the oldest in the American population who have experienced moderate to severe levels of disability and must cope with a residential environment- their major asset- that no longer accommodates their needs. This segment of the program deals with these issues of change and the older adult's relationship to environment.
Listen to the Audio (MP3, 497 KB) or read the transcript:
According to the Administration on Aging, over half (55%) the older non-institutionalized persons lived with their spouse in 2000. Approximately 10.1 million or 73% of older men, and 7.7 million or 41% of older women, lived with their spouse. The proportion living with their spouse decreased with age, especially for women. Only 28.8% of women 75+ years old lived with a spouse.
About 30% (9.7 million) of all non-institutionalized older persons in 2000 lived alone (7.4 million women, 2.4 million men). They represented 40% of older women and 17% of older men. The proportion living alone increases with advanced age. Among women aged 75 and over, for example, half (49.4%) lived alone.
Previous Slide Next Slide Segment
Index
Home First Slide Last Slide