Predicting Residential Satisfaction: A Comparative Case Study

This is a comparative case study that focuses on resident satisfaction in three buildings renovated for housing. A survey based on environment-behavior factors that can contribute to resident satisfaction was developed and distributed to the buildings\u27 residents. Residents in fifty-two percent (52.5%) of the units in the three buildings responded (N = 64). Index variables used were: management, perception, wayfinding, safety. comfort. and adequacy. There was a significant relationship between resident satisfaction and age for one building. Safety and perception were significant for all buildings. Safety, perception and comfort were significant in different ways for each of the three buildings

The essence of aging in place for unmarried elderly women of diverse backgrounds: A phenomenological study

This phenomenological research explored the meaning of aging in place for 10 unmarried women who are age 65 and older and who are of diverse backgrounds. Interviews were conducted using a grand tour question with probe questions. Demographic and residential satisfaction data were obtained using a questionnaire. The 10 women were selected by expert referral. Data were collected from September 2002 through June of 2003. A modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method of analysis was used. This process included obtaining a full description of the researchers experience of the phenomenon, determining the significance of the descriptions of the experience, recording all relevant statements, horizontalization or unduplication of relevant statements, clustering the meaning units into themes, developing descriptions of the textures of the experiences, developing descriptions of the structures of the experiences, constructing a textural-structural description of the aging in place experience, and integrating all participants\u27 experiences of aging in place into the essence of aging in place. The findings indicate that racial, ethnic, cultural, and personality differences combine in different ways and influence aging in place. However, there are commonalities of the aging in place experience. The findings suggest that unmarried women age 65 and older who are of diverse backgrounds value their life experiences and the wisdom gained from their experiences. Their life experiences were framed by world events. How they experience aging in place and how they respond to events reflect values and attitudes influenced by family, relatives, friends, and neighbors. They recognize that it is important to remain physically active and mentally engaged at every stage of life. While research has revealed differences between and among elderly women of different races and ethnicities, there is an essential structure of aging in place

Early Horizon Camelid Management Practices in the Nepeña Valley, North-central Coast of Peru

South American camelids (llamas and alpacas) were of great economic, social and ritual significance in the pre-Hispanic Andes. Although these animals are largely limited to high-altitude (\u3e3500 masl) pastures, it has been hypothesised that camelids were also raised at lower altitudes in the arid coastal river valleys. Previous isotopic studies of Early Intermediate Period (c. 200 BC - AD 600) and Middle Horizon (c. AD 600 - 1100) camelids support this argument. Here, we utilise carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses of camelid bone collagen from the Early Horizon (c. 800 - 200 BC) sites of Caylán and Huambacho on the north-central coast of Peru to examine the management of these animals during the first millennium BC. Most of the camelid isotopic compositions are consistent with the acquisition of animals that were part of caravans, moving between the coast and the highlands. A small number of the animals may have been raised on the coast, suggesting that the practice of coastal camelid husbandry was in the experimental phase during the Early Horizon before growing into a more established practice in the Early Intermediate Period. These results echo zooarchaeological studies from the region that have revealed a paucity of camelid remains in refuse deposits prior to 800 BC, followed by an increase in abundance after 450 BC