The main task of any group attempting to provide proper housing for the aged is that of making it more than simply "a place to stay." The Mennonite community, too, is faced with this task as it looks for an answer to the housing dilemma of its older members. This study undertakes to survey one kind of answer – that of Menno Home. This survey of a Mennonite Home located in Clearbrook, B.C., indicates that this type of housing tends to cut its residents off from the stream of life. The participation of these elderly people in community affairs becomes very limited. The study begins with a discussion of the aging process in general. It describes some types of housing projects which have been undertaken on behalf of the aged. In the second chapter the development of Menno Home is reviewed, and a description of the housing unit is undertaken. In the following chapter the services that are offered are traced against the background of a strong and devoted church-oriented administration. A comparison is drawn with other homes for the aged. This is done through the use of several studies undertaken by Master of Social Work students in previous years. In the final chapter the needs of the residents of Menno Home are considered. This is followed by a discussion of what social workers would be able to do to make a beneficial contribution to Menno Home. Menno Home is found to be quite similar to other institutions dedicated to the same purposes. The variations that are evident consist in different policies of admission, different types of administration and some differences in the physical plant itself. However, the distinguishing feature of Menno Home lies in its strong kinship to the Mennonite church, and in the fact that it serves almost exclusively a rural, Mennonite, German or Low German speaking group. Menno Home would lend itself well to the influence of a capable social worker, as that worker cooperates with the Christian ministers now engaged in serving the residents of Menno Home. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Low-rent housing is only one item in the "welfare agenda" for the aged, but it is of fairly recent recognition compared with boarding homes, institutions, nursing care, et cetera. There are many causes of the heavy demand for self-contained accommodation for the able-bodied; but greater information on needs and preferences is also essential for wise planning. The present study is an exploratory sampling of the living arrangements and needs and preferences of able-bodied pensioners living in various types of accommodation in West Vancouver, a suburban community in which a small housing project has recently been built. For the purpose of this study, the individuals surveyed were divided into two groups: married couples, and single persons (women only, in the present instance). The survey was conducted by individual interviews, and some experimental questionnaires were developed. In the two main groups studied--married couples and "single" women--some significant differences were found between those who wished to remain in their present dwelling and those who wished to make a change which would be an improvement. The first group was composed mostly of homeowning couples, and single women living alone who had been in the same place for a number of years. The group who did not find their present living arrangements satisfactory was composed mostly of couples were were in rented accommodation, and single women who were living with married children. Within all groups there were many variations; but one problem which was common to all groups was insufficient financial resources. Most of those who rented accommodation were paying more than they could afford for rent. The homeowners, after paying taxes, had insufficient funds left for needed repairs and upkeep, and sometimes for necessities. Many older people were living apart from married children, although they wished to live close enough to permit visiting. Likewise, many single women who lived with married children, although their facilities were superior to those of single women living alone, nevertheless derived least satisfaction from their living arrangements. All of the older persons who wished to move regarded the accommodation in the West Vancouver Senior Citizens Housing Project as highly desirable. The main implications of the study include: the need for low-rental housing for older people; the possibilities for social work services in planning and to help the older person use the facilities when available; and the continuous relevance of public education and community organization. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

A critical concern for society at the present time is the detrimental effects of human activity on the ecosystems. However, while there is raised awareness about issues such as global warming and the thinning ozone layer, humans still plan and develop the urban landscape from the perspective of the Cartesian worldview. This is also apparent in planning for the aging population. Although there is a large body of literature on population aging and sustainable urban development as well as a significant amount of material on aging and urban planning, the three issues of sustainability, urban planning and population aging are seldom addressed simultaneously. This thesis addresses the question of how sustainability planning principles can be integrated with planning for population aging. To this end, I investigate the underlying paradigms of both planning and the sociology of aging to gain an understanding of the values that underscore the policy directions in both these fields. I also review the literature on population aging, as well as housing and health service planning to highlight some needs, preferences and beliefs of the older population. Finally, I survey the literature on sustainable urban planning to elucidate some points of intersection between the needs and preferences of an aging population and the dominant principles underwriting a more sustainable lifestyle. The most significant themes arising from this investigation are the need for social and physical restructuring through changing paradigms. It is clear that older people are treated as a special group and have been segregated either covertly or overtly from mainstream society. Therefore, a change in values is required normalizing the older population within the societal structure. At the same time, traditional urban planning supports increasing consumption of material and energy resources leading to greater environmental degradation. Physical urban restructuring that reduces fossil fuel consumption and waste production will move society towards sustainability. Social ecology and ecological planning principles underwrite such social and ecological restructuring. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

No description available.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate a model of predictors of acceptance of housing alternatives among the nonmetropolitan population. The study analyzed data from the Southern Regional Research Project, S-141, “Housing for Low- and Moderate-Income Families." The sample consisted of 1,234 households and a subsample of 556 over age 55. The independent variables for this study were: housing situation, housing satisfaction, concept of home, and demographics, including age. The dependent variable was acceptance of housing alternatives. The work of Rogers (1962, 1983) and Rogers and Shoemaker (1971) on the adoption process of innovations formed the theoretical framework for this study. The Total Knowledge Index of Weber, McCray, and Claypool (1985), based on the decision stage of the adoption process of Rogers and Shoemaker (1971), was used to measure acceptance of six types of alternative housing: active solar, passive solar, apartment/multifamily, earth-sheltered/underground, manufactured/mobile home, and retrofitted/energy-improved. Multiple regression was used to test the first hypothesis that the age of the respondent would explain more variation in acceptance of housing alternatives than could be explained by given set of independent variables. Age did not significantly add to the amount of variation in acceptance that could be explained by the model of predictors. For the subsample over age 55 the addition of age significantly increased the amount of variation in acceptance. More of the variation in acceptance was explained by the model of predictors with the over age 55 subsample than with the entire sample. The second hypothesis involved regressing the set of predictors, excluding age, on each of the three age independent groups (under 55, 55 - 64, and age 65 and over). The set of predictors explained significantly more of the variation for the age defined groups of 55 to 64 and those age 65 and over than it did for the group under 55. Therefore, it appears that age is important in the prediction of acceptance of housing alternatives with the set of independent variables in this study, particularly for individuals over age 55. / Ph. D.

It was the purpose of this study to determine the accessibility and usability of mobile homes for elderly residents. A sample of 50 elderly persons was interviewed with an instrument developed by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University who conducted the project entitled "Mobile Homes Accessibility and Usability for Independent Elderly Residents." The majority of elderly persons in the sample were females who lived alone, more of whom had mobility problems than health problems. The residents had lived in the mobile home an average of six years and the majority owned rather than rented. The mobile homes were a median size of 720 square feet and an average age of 11.5 years. Of the 95 accessibility and usability features considered, an average of 46 features were present at the time of purchase or when the units were first occupied, and an average of seven features had been added by the residents. Linear regression, t-test, analysis of covariance and Pearson Product Moment Correlation tests were used to examine the relationships between features present, added and total in the units and the independent variables. Health problems were significantly and negatively related to the number of features present at purchase in the mobile homes. Mobility problems of the residents were significantly and positively related to the total number of features in the mobile homes. Larger and newer mobile homes were found to have a greater number of total features. / M.S.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

楊之英. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院社會工作學學部. / Manuscript. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 261-268). / Yang Zhiying. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan she hui gong zuo xue xue bu. / 銘謝詞 --- p.1 / Chapter 第一章 --- 緒論 --- p.9 / Chapter 第二章 --- 文獻探討 --- p.19 / Chapter 第三章 --- 研究方法與步驟 --- p.41 / Chapter 第四章 --- 社區環境與老人日常生活 --- p.60 / Chapter 第一節 --- 社區環境 / Chapter 第二節 --- 老人的日常生活 / Chapter 第五章 --- 遷居前的居住安排 --- p.79 / Chapter 第一節 --- 惡劣的居住環境 / Chapter 第二節 --- 與子女分開居住的安排 / Chapter 第三節 --- 老人獲知「配屋計劃」的消息來源 / Chapter 第六章 --- 老人和家人的關係 --- p.107 / Chapter 第一節 --- 與親屬同住的老人 / Chapter 第二節 --- 老人和子女的交往 / Chapter 第三節 --- 老人與其他家人的關係 / Chapter 第七章 --- 老人和同屋老人、鄰居、及朋友的關係 --- p.153 / Chapter 第一節 --- 老人和同屋老人的相處 / Chapter 第二節 --- 鄰居之間的交往 / Chapter 第三節 --- 老人與朋友的聯繫 / Chapter 第八章 --- 支援性質及支援來源 --- p.198 / Chapter 第一節 --- 社交的支援 / Chapter 第二節 --- 情緒的支援 / Chapter 第三節 --- 服務的支援 / Chapter 第四節 --- 物質的支援 / Chapter 第九章 --- 結論 --- p.245 / Chapter 第一節 --- 研究的重要發現 / Chapter 第二節 --- 進一步研究的建議 / 參考書目 --- p.261 / Chapter 附錄一 --- 啟業邨平面圖 --- p.269 / Chapter 附錄二 --- 個案摘錄 --- p.270 / Chapter 附錄三 --- 訪問大綱 --- p.303 / Chapter 附錄四 --- 老人服務的初步建議 --- p.307 / Chapter 附錄五 --- 個案基本資料一覽表 --- p.315 / Chapter 附錄六 --- 申請「老人優先配屋計劃」的規定 --- p.316

Lam Siu Wah Wagner. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2000-2001, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.01 / Chapter 2 --- ISSUES --- p.03 / Chapter 2.1 --- Aging of Hong Kong Population --- p.03 / Chapter 2.2 --- Growing Old of Hong Kong Neighborhood --- p.05 / Chapter 2.3 --- Age Barrier --- p.09 / Chapter 3 --- ELDERLY NEEDS --- p.15 / Chapter 3.1 --- Social and Psychological Aspects --- p.15 / Chapter 3.2 --- Filling the Generation Gap --- p.16 / Chapter 3.3 --- Bridging the Elderly with the Society --- p.16 / Chapter 3.4 --- Cater for the Special Needs of Elderly --- p.17 / Chapter 3.5 --- Attachment to Place --- p.18 / Chapter 3.6 --- Physical Aspects - Special Design Details --- p.19 / Chapter 4 --- RESOURCES OF SERVING ELDERLY IN HONG KONG --- p.21 / Chapter 4.1 --- Elderly Housing --- p.21 / Chapter 4.2 --- Elderly Nursing Home --- p.34 / Chapter 4.3 --- Elderly Centre --- p.38 / Chapter 5 --- DEFICIENCY OF CURRENT SITUATION --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1 --- Segregation between Elderly People arid the other Age Groups --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- Lack of Variety of Entertainment --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3 --- Non-continuous Community Care Service --- p.41 / Chapter 5.4 --- Dramatic Change of Living Environment --- p.42 / Chapter 6 --- OBJECTIVE OF THESIS --- p.43 / Chapter 7 --- CLIENT PROFILE --- p.44 / Chapter 8 --- SITE JUSTIFICATION --- p.45 / Chapter 8.1 --- Criteria --- p.45 / Chapter 8.2 --- Potential Sites and Assessment --- p.45 / Chapter 9 --- SITE ANALYSIS --- p.51 / Chapter 9.1 --- Historical Significant and Projection --- p.51 / Chapter 9.2 --- Context --- p.55 / Chapter 9.3 --- Human Factors --- p.63 / Chapter 9.4 --- Opportunities and Contraints --- p.67 / Chapter 10 --- PRELIMINARY DESIGN CONCEPT --- p.76 / Chapter 10.1 --- Crossing of Programmes --- p.76 / Chapter 10.2 --- Strolling Walkway --- p.77 / Chapter 10.3 --- Combination of Old and New --- p.79 / Chapter 11 --- PROGRAMMES --- p.83 / Chapter 11.1 --- Observation in Specific Facilities and Provision --- p.83 / Chapter 11.2 --- Cornbination of Programmes --- p.87 / Chapter 11.3 --- Bubble Diagram --- p.92 / Chapter 11.4 --- Scheduie of Accommodation --- p.93 / Chapter 12 --- Appendix --- p.95 / Chapter 12.1 --- interview Report --- p.95 / Chapter 12.2 --- Bibliography --- p.95

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration