title: Responding to home maintenance challenge scenarios: the role of selection, optimization, and compensation in aging-in-place.
abstract: This study examined potential issues faced by older adults in managing their homes and their proposed solutions for overcoming hypothetical difficulties. Forty-four diverse, independently living older adults (66-85) participated in structured group interviews in which they discussed potential solutions to manage difficulties presented in four scenarios: perceptual, mobility, physical, and cognitive difficulties. The proposed solutions were classified using the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) model. Participants indicated they would continue performing most tasks and reported a range of strategies to manage home maintenance challenges. Most participants reported that they would manage home maintenance challenges using compensation; the most frequently mentioned compensation strategy was using tools and technologies. There were also differences across the scenarios: Optimization was discussed most frequently with perceptual and cognitive difficulty scenarios. These results provide insights into supporting older adults' potential needs for aging-in-place and provide evidence of the value of the SOC model in applied research.
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA akelly2@ggc.edu.
authors.forename: Andrew John
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Cara Bailey
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Fausset
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Arthur D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fisk
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012944:Social Support
keywords: SOC model; aging-in-place; home maintenance