MICRO EVIDENCE FOR MACRO POLICY: HIDDEN BARRIERS TO AGING-IN-PLACE IN HIGH DENSITY CHINESE HOUSING ENVIRONMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i44.2260Keywords:
High Density Housing, Aging in Place, Housing Environment, Hidden BarriersAbstract
Aging in place policy relies on community, but policy priorities often top-down and miss lived barriers in dense apartments. This study aims to identify environmental barriers that constrain older adults’ priority everyday activities in high density Chinese apartments, to inform evidence-based aging-in-place policy and priorities. This research conducted activity-based in-home assessments for 30 old adults over 60 years, with 41 activities categories in 22 high density estates, using a culturally adapted In-home occupational performance evaluation (I-HOPE), observation and unstructured interviews. In total, 226 barrier instances were coded and scored. The results indicate that digital media use, public transport access, carrying items, cleaning, and bathing were repeatedly identified as priority difficulties. Frequent barriers involved high-reach storage, digital usability, and external mobility interfaces. Many constrained activities were still self-rated as high performance, revealing hidden barriers. So, performance-based micro-evidence can refine priorities and evaluation for policy, which need focus on every day activity chains across unit, building, and urban mobility interfaces, instead of one activity or only at home.
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