| Research Abstract |
We conducted the questionnaire survey on "the discomfort of living and housing environment" in the elderly. The subjects in this study were the residents in the mountain or urban areas. It was suggested that most subjects in both areas had discomfort in the low room temperature in winter season. We measured a room temperature and humidity of a living room in the elderly's apartments which were located in the mountains and urban areas, for a period of one month in summer and winter. The room temperatures of a single or a married couple's housings were significantly lower than that of the persons living with their children/families. To examine whether there was a difference in a preferred thiclmess and material of handrails between the elderly and university, students, we found that the size of 35mm was the most preferred handrail for both kinds of subjects. University students preferred the wooden handrail although there were no significant differences between wooden, plastic and metal
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handrails among the elderly. By multiple logistic regression analysis using step-wise method association between discordance and selected variables, a significant relationship between discordance and weak of grip strength was found (OR: 1.255, 95%CI: 1.042-1.511). The results of this study suggest that grip strength may be a useful indicator of poor recognition for an action of stepping over the obstacle in the group aged 70 years or over women. We examined the relationship between the input devices and the factors such as age, health status, and future need of a mobile phone and the Internet (IT). The touch screen was the most preferred input device among the elderly with high age, no good health and less future need of IT. We examined the discomfort of the residents regarding housing utilities, the effects of house reform (to make it barrier free), relation between QOL, ADL and housing environment, and the effects of care burden on caregiver, using a questionnaire survey and conventional physical fitness tests among the elderly and their families. By reforming the house (to be barrier free), they had less discomfort in a gap in their house. On the other hand, however, there was significant discomfort in thermal environment in a housing and it was indicated that it led to the general discomfort in a housing. We measured a physical fitness level and performed a questionnaire concerning the risk assessment for the falls in the elderly living in a mountain area who participated in a seminar for preventing the falls. The subjects did not often experience the falls in their house, but it seems that their worries to hit an obstacle in a house led to the loss of confidence in daily living. Less
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