Abstract:

Those older women who elect by choice to spend their later years in their own home where, perhaps, they have lived for long durations often are faced with an endless array of life-space problems. Accommodations can be unsatisfactory because of complicated living spaces & insufficient & poorly designed equipment. The lack of ability to maintain life-support systems or to identify & solve mechanical problems will many times lead to discomforting frustration as well as isolation & financial insecurity. The older woman who maintains a home unexpectedly, before she is prepared, may experience a decline in morale (Loether, 1975). If circumstances mandate a move from neighborhood & community then the older woman faces the possibility of restrained, if not impossible, continued social contacts & a loss of familiarity with available community facilities & resources (Landford, 1962). What are the alternatives for the aging women in selecting adequate & successful housing? There is a great disparity between housing preferences of older persons & the actual circumstances in which they live (Vivrett, 1960). A preference for mortgage-free ownership is not always ideal for the older woman because of the complexities & difficulties of maintaining a larger than needed home. It has been estimated by the Senate Special Committee on Aging (1972) that upwards of 30% of all persons over sixty-five live in dilapidated, deteriorating, or substandard housing. A significant portion of the elderly population, particularly women, are not able to rehabilitate their homes due to limited finances. As it stands now, persons over sixty-five spend approximately 33.3% of their income on housing (Loether, 1975). A number of different types of housing alternatives have been developed to meet the needs of the elderly women, ie, developed retirement communities, high-rise apartments, cooperatives, mobile home parks, residential hotels, cluster units & rehabilitated residences. The health, vitality, & quality of the older woman's lifestyle depend, in part, on the dwelling.