One of the most difficult decisions individuals and families have to make is where an older member should live. Such decisions are never easy, and can be quite wrenching. Figuring out the optimal “fit” where the individual’s competence and the envi­ronmental press are in the best balance rests on the ability of all concerned to […]

Imagine you are an older adult who has difficulty cooking meals and getting around. If you had a choice of where you wanted to live, where would it be? Maybe some of your family members are urg­ing you to move to a place where your meals are provided and you can be driven where you […]

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • What is aging in place? • How do people decide the best option? • How can a home be modified to provide a supportive environment? • What options and services are provided in adult day care? • What is congregate housing? • What are the characteristics of assisted living? M ark was […]

The three theories we have considered have much in common. Most important, all agree that the focus must be on the interaction between the person and the environment, not on one or the other. Another important common theme is that no one environ­ment meets everyone’s needs. Rather, a range of potential environments may be optimal. […]

As you know from your own experience, sometimes your interaction with the environment is stressful. Schooler (1982) has applied Lazarus and Folkman’s cognitive theory of stress and coping, described in Chapter 4, to the understanding of the older per­son’s interaction with the environment. The basic premise of Lazarus’s theory is that people evalu­ate situations to […]

Another way to consider how people and environ­ments interact is to look for the best fit for a specific person in a particular environment. This is what Kahana (1982) focuses on in her congruence model. Kahana includes the ideas of competence and envi­ronmental press but applies them differently. In Kahana’s view people vary in their […]

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • What is the competence and environmental press model? • What is the congruence model? • What are the major aspects of stress and coping theory relating to person-environment interactions? • What are the common themes in the theories of person-environment interactions? H ank has lived in the same poor neighborhood all of […]

5.1 DESCRIBING PERSON-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS Competence and Environmental Press • Discovering Development: What’s Your Adaptation Level? • The Congruence Model • Stress and Coping Framework • Common Theoretical Themes and Everyday Competence 5.2 THE ECOLOGY OF AGING: COMMUNITY OPTIONS Aging in Place • Deciding on the Best Option • Home Modification • Adult Day Care • […]

Two demographic trends will create the potential for significant worldwide change over the next few decades. First, increasing longevity in developed countries will result in more older adults. Second, the size of various generations will either exacerbate or lessen this problem. That is, the large baby-boom generation, combined with increased longevity, will make the issue […]

As you were reading about the Verbrugge and Jette (1994) model, you may have been thinking about Brian’s situation and those of other adults you know. If you and your classmates created a list of all the conditions you believe cause functional limitations and disabilities in older adults, the list undoubtedly would be long. (Try […]