Aging in Place: Exploration and Application of a Qualitative Methodology Strategy

Abstract

Studies on aging, housing, and city have gained relevance in the last decades, especially the modality of aging at home, of which today there are several methodological paths, most of them of qualitative order. One of the complexities of its implementation is the documentation of the domestic environment, the daily activities inside and outside the house, as well as the profile of its inhabitant. A methodology focused on the trinomial person-housing-walkable urban environment is described here, based on the principle that they constitute an inseparable and symbiotic unit where autonomy, socialization, psychoemotional health, and selfcare can be promoted. Interviews, photographs, a map of the immediate area, and a schematic architectural plan of the house are recorded in a computerized database, facilitating the collaborative work of a multidisciplinary group of researchers. The methodological process, fine-tuned and applied to 18 case studies, shows the ability to lay the foundation for a deep understanding of the domestic environment from a gerontological perspective. The study process also opens a possible analytical path for future guidelines for resilient housing production at the request of an aging population.