Meeting the needs of visually impaired people living in lifetime homes
Rooney, Clíona Hadjri, Karim Rooney, Máirin Faith, Verity McAllister, Keith Craig, Cathy
Rooney, Clíona
Hadjri, Karim
Rooney, Máirin
Faith, Verity
McAllister, Keith
Craig, Cathy
Publication Date
2016-04-02
Type
Article
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Citation
Rooney, Clíona; Hadjri, Karim; Rooney, Máirin; Faith, Verity; McAllister, Keith; Craig, Cathy (2016). Meeting the needs of visually impaired people living in lifetime homes. Journal of Housing For the Elderly 30 (2), 123-140
Abstract
This article explores perceptions on the suitability and effectiveness of Lifetime Homes standards (LTHS) for those with visual impairment in Northern Ireland. LTHS are a series of mandatory United Kingdom public-sector housing design interventions, providing a model for ensuring accessible and adaptable homes throughout an occupant's life span. An aging demographic with increasing incidence of diabetes has led to rising numbers of elderly, visually impaired people wanting to remain in their homes for longer. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 key stakeholders and thematically analyzed. Although findings show that employing LTHS offers benefits to visually impaired residents, shortcomings were also identified. Evidence indicates a need for policy makers, health-care professionals, and housing associations to modify practices to better meet the housing needs of visually impaired people. Findingsmay also be applicable to those with other impairments and disabilities in relation to housing for elderly residents.
Funder
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Publisher DOI
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland