PERSON-ENVIRONMENT AND AGING

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PERSON-ENVIRONMENT AND AGING

• What is it?

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• Dynamic, interactive system
• Person and environment have to be studied jointly
• A persons behaviour is a function of both the
  person and their environment especially the
  persons perception of their environment

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Competence and environmental press

• Competence best functional capacity of an
  individual
• Measured in five areas
• Biological health
• Sensory-perceptual functioning
• Motor skills
• Cognitive skills
• Ego strength

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Competence and environmental press

• Environmental press demands placed by the
  environment on each individual
• The demands can be
• Physical
• Interpersonal
• Social

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Lawton and Nahemovs model

• The less competent a person is, the more impact
  the environment has

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Kahanas Congruence Model

• People search for environments that best meet
  their needs
• Environments vary in their ability to meet
  different peoples needs and demands
• Congruence is especially important when options
  are limited
• This model is helpful in assessing long-term care
  facilities

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Stress and Coping Theory

• Older adults adaptation to the environment
  depends on
• Their perception of environmental stress and
• Their attempts to cope
• Social systems and institutions may buffer the
  effects of stress

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Loss-Continuum Concept

• Aging seen as a progressive series of losses that
  reduces ones social participation
• Therefore, home and neighbourhood become more
  important
• Very important to help individuals maintain
  competence and independence
• This model is more a practical guide and not a
  theory

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Concept of Everyday Competence

• Ability to perform behaviours essential for
  independent living
• Physical
• Psychological
• Social

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Willis Model of Everyday Competence

• Antecedents individual (e.g. health, cognitive
  status) and sociocultural (e.g. social policy,
  health care policy)
• Components intraindividual (how a person
  experiences their health, cognition) and
  contextual (how a particular policy is
  implemented in each case)
• Mechanisms variables that can affect expression
  of competence, e.g. personal perception of
  self-competence or of control
• Outcomes primarily physical and psychological
  well-being, the basic components of successful
  aging

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What Is Optimal Aging?

• Avoiding disease
• Engaged in life (as opposed to withdrawal)
• Good cognitive and physical functioning
• The last two more important many seniors with
  diseases age successfully
• Important dignity and independence

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Strategies

• Healthy lifestyle
• Cognitive stimulation
• Positive, optimistic outlook
• Social network
• Healthy finances
• Importance of health promotion programs adapted
  to all groups (SES, ethnicity, etc)
• Four levels of preventive intervention (see text)