[Adaptive behaviour of persons with functional limitation: Housing adaptations in Spain]

Abstract

Introduction: Most elderly people or those with disabilities wish to stay in their own home rather than any other residential option, even when long-term care is required. The functional adaptation of homes is one of the key factors in doing this with safety and quality of life. This paper investigates whether people with disabilities (arising mainly from their advanced age) develop adaptive behaviours aimed at compensating for their functional loss through improvements in their home and environment, as well as knowing the covariables that explain it.

Material and methods: It starts from the so-called Lewin equation, which relates individual behaviours to personal and environmental characteristics. In this case the adaptive behaviour would be the economic expenditure on the home for its adaptation or improvement. The microdata of the Spanish EDAD 2008 survey are used, to which a bivariate logit model is applied to estimate the relationship between this adaptive expenditure and different explanatory covariates.

Results: The results show that the Lewin model is fulfilled. The resulting coefficients and odds ratios show that the functional, economic, and environmental characteristics are what determine, above others of a personal or socioeconomic type, the adaptive expenditure.

Conclusions: Housing adaptation is a voluntary adjustment behaviour justified by the functional conditions of the person and those of the housing and building environment. Given the importance of promoting better conditions for «ageing at home», there is a need to stimulate private expenditure on adaptation as a complementary formula to the necessary increase in existing public subsidy programs.

Keywords: Accesibilidad; Accessibility; Adaptación funcional de la vivienda; Adaptive behaviour; Ageing at home; Conducta adaptativa; Ecology of ageing; Ecología del envejecimiento; Envejecimiento en casa; Housing adaptation.