Dickson Sarah, Gibson Kate, Cheraghi Mitra, Kingston Andrew, Brittain Katie
Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
BMJ Open. 2025 Mar 25;15(3):e093698. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093698.
This qualitative study seeks to answer the question: How do older adults use and perceive home adaptations, specifically grab rails designed to blend into the home environment and avoid overt associations with disability? The grab rails were provided by a large energy company. They were specifically designed to be discreet, stylish and have a dual purpose, with the aim of supporting healthy ageing through ageing in place.
A qualitative study using semistructured interviews, with thematic analysis.
Interviews were conducted predominantly via telephone calls, between 5 June 2023 and 14 August 2023.
33 participants took part in the study with a mean age of 64.2 years. Participants resided in the following regions across the UK: North East, North West, Yorkshire, East and West Midlands. Purposive sampling allowed diversity in gender, ethnicity and home tenure. The grab rails were installed at least 3 months prior to recruitment.
Many participants reported that using the grab rails helped their independence and safety in daily life. The aesthetics of the grab rails were positively appraised, specifically because they had a notably different outward appearance to standard grab rails. Participants were aware that declining mobility can be stigmatising, and they felt the grab rails mitigated this by being discreet and enabling them to present a home which they felt would be accepted by wider society. Participants felt this protected their identity, as they wanted to appear independent to wider society. However, some participants were unaware that the grab rails had been designed with a duality of purpose or were apprehensive towards the functionality of these grab rails. This apprehension may have stemmed from the home adaptations being provided by a large energy provider, or because the discreet design of the grab rails made their intended purpose less overt.
While home adaptations with a discreet and stylish aesthetic are valued by older people, our findings highlight that there are issues with commodifying home adaptations. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of addressing the social stigma associated with ageing-related home adaptations.
本定性研究旨在回答以下问题：老年人如何使用和看待家庭改造，特别是那些旨在融入家庭环境并避免与残疾产生明显关联的扶手？这些扶手由一家大型能源公司提供。它们经过专门设计，外观隐蔽、时尚且具有双重功能，旨在通过就地养老来支持健康老龄化。
一项采用半结构化访谈和主题分析的定性研究。
访谈主要通过电话进行，时间为2023年6月5日至2023年8月14日。
33名参与者参与了该研究，平均年龄为64.2岁。参与者居住在英国的以下地区：东北部地区、西北部地区、约克郡、东米德兰兹和西米德兰兹。目的抽样确保了性别、种族和住房保有情况的多样性。扶手在招募前至少已安装3个月。
许多参与者表示，使用扶手有助于他们在日常生活中的独立性和安全性。扶手的美观性得到了积极评价，特别是因为它们的外观与标准扶手明显不同。参与者意识到行动能力下降可能会带来污名化，他们认为扶手通过隐蔽性减轻了这种情况，并使他们能够展示一个他们认为会被更广泛社会接受的家。参与者认为这保护了他们的身份，因为他们希望在更广泛的社会中显得独立。然而，一些参与者不知道扶手被设计成具有双重功能，或者对这些扶手的功能感到担忧。这种担忧可能源于家庭改造由一家大型能源供应商提供，或者因为扶手的隐蔽设计使其预期用途不那么明显。
虽然具有隐蔽且时尚美学的家庭改造受到老年人的重视，但我们的研究结果凸显了将家庭改造商品化存在的问题。此外，我们证明了解决与老龄化相关的家庭改造所带来的社会污名的重要性。
