Presenter:

Gertrude R Mafatlane; Lily C. Fidzani, University of Botswana, Botswana

Abstract

Accessible housing is vital for ensuring the independence, safety, security, and overall well-being of elderly people. This study aimed to assess the accessibility status of homes for elderly people in Mochudi, Botswana. The specific objectives of the study were to: 1) determine the influence of gender on home accessibility for elderly people, 2) examine the influence of age on home accessibility level and 3) identify common environmental barriers present in homes occupied by elderly people. The study was grounded in the Ecology Theory of Aging (ETA), which emphasizes the importance of the person-environment (P-E) fit, particularly for elderly people living at home. A quantitative research approach was adopted. The causal research design was used to analyze the influence of gender and age on home accessibility levels, while a descriptive design helped identify environmental barriers that were prevalent in the home. The target population consisted of 3,070 elderly people aged 65 years and above, with a final sample size of 143 (99 females and 44 males). Snowball sampling was employed due to the undocumented and hard-to-reach nature of the population. Data was collected using an adapted Housing Enabler (HE) tool, and analyzed using HE software version 1.0, which provided accessibility scores and ranked environmental barriers by prevalence. Further statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26 for Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests. The findings revealed that gender had no significant influence on home accessibility level (Mann-Whitney U = 2060, Z = .158, p = .605, r = 1.72) while age had a significant influence on home accessibility (Kruskal-Wallis H(2,143) = 31.281, p < .05). Furthermore, the study identified eight common environmental barriers, with the most prevalent being absence of grab bars in the shower, bath, and/or toilet (83%), followed by high thresholds or steps at entrances (49%), having bathtubs instead of accessible shower stalls or spaces (33%) and low or high toilet seat heights (16%). The recommendation is that there is a clear need for targeted interventions to address these environmental barriers to enhance the safety, independence, and well-being of elderly people in their homes to allow them to age in place.

Bio(s):

Gertrude R. Mafatlane is an upcoming scholar in Education and Interior design fields with over 25 years of work and research experience. A Home Economics teacher and an Interior Designer by profession. I am currently a PhD student reading for PhD Home Economics Education (specialization in Housing and Interior Design) in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Botswana. My research interest is in designing spaces for people with special needs including wheelchair users, elderly people etc. I have 3 published papers in international journals and several conference papers.