Artificial environments and an aging population: Designing for age-related functional losses
Artificial environments and an aging population: Designing for age-related functional losses
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DOI：
10.2114/jpa.24.103
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发表时间：
2005-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Crews, Douglas E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Crews, Douglas E.
在过去的一个世纪里，65岁以上人口的比例持续大幅增加；尤其是100岁以上的人。 21世纪，百岁以上人口数量将继续增加。这种情况发生的速度如此之快，以至于 21 世纪有一天可能被称为百岁老人的世纪。早在有记录的历史上，衰老、疾病和创伤继发的虚弱和残疾就伴随着老年（通常定义为 65 岁及以上）。然而，在 20 世纪，年龄、虚弱、残疾和慢性退行性疾病已与最长寿人群中的某些现存问题脱钩。直到最近，由于老年人在大多数国家人口中的代表性较低，几乎没有必要为老年人的独特需求设计人工环境。如今，随着 65 岁及以上人口数量的增加，这种需求也在不断增加。本次综述的目的是提出生理人类学家可能有机会为快速增长的老龄化人口的设计趋势做出贡献的领域。老年人环境设计的主要考虑因素是改变环境，以适应他们日益衰退的视觉、听觉和动觉，从而增强他们日益衰退的能力，提高他们的自主性、独立性和自我幸福感。迄今为止，大多数设计考虑都是为了改善患有阿尔茨海默病或居住在辅助生活设施内的人的环境。许多此类设计改进也可能有效提高非机构老年人的生活满意度和功能能力。
Over the past century there has been a large and continuing increase in the frequency of persons aged over 65 years; particularly those aged over 100 years. During the 21st century the number of persons over 100 years will continue to increase. This will occur at such a rapid rate that the 21st century may one day be called the century of centenarians. Frailty and disability secondary to senescence, disease, and trauma have accompanied old age (often defined as age 65 and over) as far back as recorded history. However, during the 20th century, age, frailty, disability, and chronic degenerative diseases have been decoupled to some extant in the most long-lived human populations. Until recently, there was little need to design artificial environments for the unique needs of the elderly due to their low representation in most national populations. Today that need is increasing in concert with the number of persons aged 65 and older. The purpose of this review is to suggest areas wherein physiological anthropologists may have an opportunity to contribute to design trends for this rapidly increasing aging population. Major considerations for design of environments for the elderly are based upon altering the environment to accommodate their declining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses, thereby enhancing their declining faculties and improving their autonomy, independence, and self perceptions of well-being. To date most design considerations have been directed toward improving environments for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease or residing within assisted living facilities. Many such design improvements also may be effective in improving life satisfaction and functional abilities of the non-institutionalized elderly.