Ambient Assistive Technology Considered Harmful

Abstract. Ambient assistive technology (AAT) is envisioned as a powerful tool for facing the growing demands the demographic change toward an aging society puts on care. While AAT is often expected to increase the quality of life of older people, this paper holds that relevant interventions often embody values that can contradict such visions, and in some cases even be harmful to care receivers. We argue that the strong focus AAT puts on illness and risk management reflects a medical model of care, which often disregards the psychosocial challenges that impairments and disabilities associated with old age can rise. We suggest that design of AAT could benefit from using the social model of care as design inspiration and value foundation. Such an approach puts focus on the person rather than the illness. The paper ends by providing a short description of work in which the social model of care is adopted as a basis for design of AAT

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Co-housing Options for Older Adults to Age in Place

This study explored a housing model called co-housing, giving attention to its potential to help older adults successfully age in place. The focus of this research primarily focused on housing and the obstacles that prevent older adults from remaining in their own home as they age. The population of older adults in the United States will continue to increase and older adults are often faced with a shortage of available options. The co-housing model consists of individual homes or apartments located around a shared outdoor space. Members within the community share responsibility for everyday activities and upkeep to property, reducing the overall cost of living. A qualitative exploratory research design was used to gather relevant data. Interviews were conducted with professionals working with this population and with individuals who have direct knowledge of co-housing. Themes were identified and included: the cost of current housing options, financial obligations, and the availability of and access to community supports. Co-housing was described as having the potential to address and overcome many of the obstacles to aging in place. Co-housing members supporting and trading services among each other was described as decreasing the need to hire outside agencies and the potential to save money overall. This type of housing model will not meet all levels of needs or cares but could be an alternative for some. At this time this model is limited in locations throughout the United States

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Co-housing Options for Older Adults to Age in Place

This study explored a housing model called co-housing, giving attention to its potential to help older adults successfully age in place. The focus of this research primarily focused on housing and the obstacles that prevent older adults from remaining in their own home as they age. The population of older adults in the United States will continue to increase and older adults are often faced with a shortage of available options. The co-housing model consists of individual homes or apartments located around a shared outdoor space. Members within the community share responsibility for everyday activities and upkeep to property, reducing the overall cost of living. A qualitative exploratory research design was used to gather relevant data. Interviews were conducted with professionals working with this population and with individuals who have direct knowledge of co-housing. Themes were identified and included: the cost of current housing options, financial obligations, and the availability of and access to community supports. Co-housing was described as having the potential to address and overcome many of the obstacles to aging in place. Co-housing members supporting and trading services among each other was described as decreasing the need to hire outside agencies and the potential to save money overall. This type of housing model will not meet all levels of needs or cares but could be an alternative for some. At this time this model is limited in locations throughout the United States

Significance of territoriality in spatial organization of coliving communities

Проблем истраживања је просторна организација coliving концепта становања и улога територијалности у њиховом типолошком одређењу. Досадашња истраживања coliving концепата нису резултирала њиховом јасном систематизацијом. Компаративном анализом карактеристичних примера може се констатовати да су у пракси заступљене све могуће релације између основних функционалних група (заједничких, дељених и индивидуалних простора), које међусобним повезивањем генеришу различите типове coliving концепата. Основна теза рада је да примарни параметар из кога проистичу различити концепти коегзистенције у дељеном простору чини „доживљај територијалности”, тј. ниво толеранције корисника и спремност за дељење истих простора и садржаја са непознатим особама. Основни допринос рада је дефинисање шест карактеристичних типова coliving заједница. Значај овог рада се огледа, не само у иницирању могућности даљих теоријских истраживања у области становања, већ и у његовој практичној примењивости у просторној и функционалној организацији coliving и cohousing простора. Приказани концепти и класификација могу да послуже и као основ за дефинисање нових програма и пројектовање coliving објекатаThe issue that the research focuses on is spatial organization of the coliving housing concept and the role that territoriality plays in their typological determination. Past research of co-living concept did not result in a clear systematization of the concept. By comparative analyses of characteristic examples it can be confirmed that in practice, a wide variety of relations between the main functional groups is present (common, shared and individual spaces) and that through links between all of them, different types of the coliving concept are generated. The main thesis of this paper is that the primary parameter, serving as the base of different concepts of coexisting in a shared space, is the “experience of territoriality” i.e. the level of tolerance that space users have in their readiness to share the same space and content with unknown individuals. The main contribution of the paper lies in determination of six characteristic types of coliving communities. The importance of this paper is reinforced not only by the fact that it initiates the possibility of further theoretical research in the housing sphere, but also in its practical usage in spatial and functional organisation of coliving and cohousing spaces. The presented concepts and classifications can serve as the basis for the definition of new programmes and the design of coliving objects