Join us for a session that will provoke discussion about aging, looking at three papers that consider adult house sharing, aspirations of older homeowners, and the role of smart health technology. The full abstracts are below.
Presentations from these authors and a live Q&A session are available to all HSA members. Book here
1. Marie Houghton “It’s not something that people do because they want to”: Home, adulthood, choice and security in the lives of house sharers over the age of 30
In recent years the number of people in the UK living in house shares has increased, with particularly sharp increases being reported amongst people over the age of 30. However, very little research has explored what the psychological impact of living in a shared house into one’s thirties and beyond may be. Preliminary results from 11 interviews with house sharers aged 30 or over will be presented. Interviews explored participants’ housing pathways, as well as what living in a house share after the age of 30 means in terms of well-being, construction of an adult identity, and ability to feel at home. The majority of participants felt trapped and frustrated by their current housing situation. They did not want to be living in shared housing but saw it as their only option. Most participants expressed a strong desire for the security of homeownership and, for some, their current living situation caused them to feel a sense of failure. The majority of participants had found ways to create a feeling of home in their current accommodation; however, insecurity of tenure and difficult relationships with housemates did prevent some from feeling at home. Some participants spoke of enjoying the social benefits of sharing but here notions of choice were important. The participant who was most positive about sharing was the only one who would have been financially able to live alone if she chose. Implications for the Generation Rent and emerging adulthood literatures, as well as for housing policy will be explored.
2. Helen Brown A home for life? Understanding housing aspirations of older homeowners
Appropriate housing is fundamental in supporting our health and wellbeing as we age. However, the extent to which existing housing and related services meet people’s aspirations in later life is less certain. This paper will share preliminary findings from a collaborative PhD research project which aims to better understand housing aspirations and the extent to which these are realisable. The study explores the housing aspirations of older homeowners who live in lower and mid-market areas of a city in the north of England. Despite homeowners being the largest group of older householders they are under-researched in the literature, with some appearing to have constrained housing options. Utilising qualitative methods, including a series of interviews and photo elicitation, the project aims to understand, in depth, what people really aspire to from housing in later life. This paper presents some initial findings from the study, with three key themes explored through the emerging data. Firstly, the concepts of home and neighbourhood are considered through an ‘occupation’ lens by examining what older people are able to do or are prevented from doing within these contexts. Secondly, how lived experiences frame perceptions and decision-making processes when contemplating housing and related services in later life. Thirdly, the research offers insight into the extent to which older homeowners are able to realise their housing aspirations in the contemporary housing system
3. Rachel Creaney ‘It gives a sense of security that there’s somebody there, but on the other hand, it chips away at the person’: An ethnography of ageing at home with smart health technology
Ageing-in-place has emerged in recent years as an alternative to residential or infirmed care, potentially through innovations such as healthcare smart homes (HSH). HSH are digitalised homes that allow residents to remain independent at home for longer by using technology, such as wearable fall alarms, remote GPS trackers, or more general smart technologies such as Alexas. These homes may offer an empowered and innovative solution to overburdened health, housing and social care services in line with the Scottish Government’s push for ageing-in-place and self-management of care, at a time when people are living longer with more complex mixes of chronic conditions. Most HSH living research has emerged from technocentric or healthcare domains and thus there is a literature gap for more critical social science perspectives, which my research seeks to address. Drawing on ethnographic research with several rural HSH residents in Scotland, this paper considers the differing motivations for rural HSH living as well as how the residents make a home in a HSH. Finally it will highlight the extent, and multitude of ways, that (dis)empowerment may be experienced by HSH residents, for example: as the residents navigate how health technology may alter societal roles; or how the idea of home may be altered by smart home technology. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of understanding the real-world impacts of this government push for ageing-in-place from the resident’s perspective.