Housing the very old

The objectives of the editors in producing this monograph were two-fold: first, to present a broad overview of the issues involved in producing housing for the very old, and second, to highlight current housing alternatives that are responsive to the special circumstances of very old persons. The monograph is divided into five parts. Part I provides a demographic overview of the very old in Canada and a description of key conceptual issues that must be addressed in meeting their housing needs. Part H focuses on design considerations in institutional settings. Part III profiles various housing models for meeting the diverse needs of the very old living in the community. The papers discuss: the small congregate house, the Abbeyfield approach and housing for the hard to house. Part IV highlights transitions in living arrangements and housing needs over time. Included are papers on both naturally occurring and planned retirement communities. The fifth and final part describes the experience of several European countries and their policy implications for Canada.TABLE OF CONTENTS: FOREWORD; PART I: A DEMOGRAPHIC AND CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW: 1. Living Arrangements of Canada's Older Elderly / Gordon E. Priest; 2. Key Conceptual Issues in Housing the Very Old / Betty Havens. PART II: DESIGNING FOR THE VERY OLD IN INSTITUTIONS: 3. Design-related Issues and Solutions for Meeting the Needs of the Very Old in Institutional Settings / Pamela Cluff; 4. Designing a Dementia Residential Care Unit: Addressing Cognitive Changes with the Wesley Hall Model / Shelly Weaverdyck and Dorothy Coons. PART III: ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR MEETING THE HOUSING NEEDS OF THE VERY OLD LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY: 5. The Small Congregate Home / Charlotte C. Murray; 6. The Abbeyfield Model / Kiyoshi Shimizu; 7. Housing for Inner-City, Hard-to House Veterans: The Veterans Memorial Manor / Fred Harvey and Olga Greenwell; 8. The Multi-Level, Multi-Service Model / Gloria M. Gutman. PART IV: TRANSITION OVERTIME: 9. The Naturally Occurring Retirement Community / Michael Hunt; 10. Planning for Retirement Communities / Judy Zon. PART V: LESSONS FROM ABROAD: 11. International Experience in Housing the Very Old: Policy Implications for Canada / Satya Brink; 12. Aspects of Housing and Services in Sweden and Denmark to Assist the Very Elderly to Live in Their Own Home / Bettyann Raschko.