Perceived Aspects of Home Environment and Home Modifications by Older People Living in Rural Areas

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated the relationships between the "perceived aspects" of current home environment of elderly people living in rural areas and their home modification behavior. To investigate this perception, home satisfaction, perception of home capability, and home safety were used as perceived aspects of the home. Data were collected by a questionnaire. The response rate was 43.1%, with 317 eligible questionnaires. The results from this study indicate that there was no significant difference in perceived aspects of home environment between those who modified their homes and those who did not. Regardless of their current home conditions, most elderly respondents (75%) showed high home satisfaction. Results from this study suggest that a modified home environment does not necessarily contribute to an older person's perception of perceived aspects of their home environment. KEYWORDS: home modificationperceived aspects of homerural residents Acknowledgments Funding for the research by the University of Tennessee at Martin. Notes aCronbach α = 0.824. bQuestions are used to investigate each perception of home environment. cAnswers range from 1: not well (strongly disagree) to 5: very well (strongly agree). dHow well do you think your home is able to meet your physical needs as you grow older? eAre you satisfied with your current home? fDo you think your home is safe enough for you to be able to get around your home? aCorrelation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). 1. Most of the counties have one senior center, but some of the bigger counties have more than one. 2. Counties included in this study are Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, and Weakley.