The Living Environment and Thermal Behaviours of Older South Australians: A Multi-Focus Group Study.

Joost Van Hoof,Jan Kazak,Alana Hansen,Helen Bennetts,Veronica Soebarto

doi:10.3390/ijerph16060935

Abstract

Ageing brings about physiological changes that affect people’s thermal sensitivity and thermoregulation. The majority of older Australians prefer to age in place and modifications to the home environment are often required to accommodate the occupants as they age and possibly become frail. However, modifications to aid thermal comfort are not always considered. Using a qualitative approach this study aims to understand the thermal qualities of the existing living environment of older South Australians, their strategies for keeping cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather and to identify existing problems related to planning and house design, and the use of heating and cooling. Data were gathered via seven focus group sessions with 49 older people living in three climate zones in South Australia. The sessions yielded four main themes, namely ‘personal factors’, ‘feeling’, ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’. These themes can be used as a basis to develop information and guidelines for older people in dealing with hot and cold weather.

Highlights

As in other countries the population of Australia is ageing
The study reported in this paper focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the ways older people keep cool in hot weather or warm in cool weather, and any issues associated with achieving thermal comfort, heating and cooling equipment or house design
The current study revealed that the strategies that individuals employed to keep cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather were complex, inter-related and influenced by a range of issues including personal factors and preferences, people’s beliefs and experiences, the type and design features of the dwelling, the type of heating and cooling equipment, as well as their financial concerns, regardless of the home’s location

Summary

Introduction

As in other countries the population of Australia is ageing. In 2017 about 15% of the Australian population consisted of people aged 65 years or above [1] and in the 40 years the proportion is expected to grow to 22% of the total population [2]. Modifications to aid thermal comfort are not always considered [6,7,8] As people age, they experience physiological changes that affect their thermal sensitivity and thermoregulation [8,9,10,11]. They experience physiological changes that affect their thermal sensitivity and thermoregulation [8,9,10,11] These changes include reduced vascular reactivity, lower metabolic rate, and reduced muscle strength. Hot and cold environments can further exacerbate age-related medical conditions, rendering older people vulnerable to both heat and cold-related mortality and morbidity [12]. Very hot weather can have a significant health impact on older people, with studies showing an increase in cardiovascular conditions and heat-related morbidity such as headache, Int. J. Public Health 2019, 16, 935; doi:10.3390/ijerph16060935 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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