The proposed 36-month study will examine the physical and social environments of 300 unlicensed board and care homes and the health and cognitive functioning of 600 persons aged 60 years and over residing in these homes in northeastern Ohio. Small unlicensed board and care facilities will be defined as unlicensed community facilities having 25 residents or less, which provide room, board and care to at least one adult 60 years of age or older who may be physically or emotionally impaired, mentally retarded, socially or economically dependent, or a combination of these characteristics. The proposed research aims to provide important descriptive data about salient aspects of the physical and social milieu of board and care homes. In addition to descriptive goals, four specific research questions will be examined: 1) How do characteristics of the board and care home physical and social environment affect older residents' psychosocial well-being and environmental satisfaction? 2) How do health status and demographic characteristics of board and care home residents affect psychosocial well-being and environmental satisfaction? 3) How does person-environment fit/congruence affect psychosocial well-being and environmental satisfaction? 4) What is the combined effect of environmental characteristics, personal characteristics and person-environment congruence on residents' psychosocial well-being and environmental satisfaction controlling for the effects of extra-environmental influences? Unlicensed board and care facilities are privately operated and tend to be difficult to locate since they are small and tend to blend into their surrounding neighborhoods. This research will overcome the problem of identification through use of the Social Security Administration State Data Exchange (SDX) tapes and lists obtained from hospitals, community services agencies, city officials, newspapers, police, neighborhood groups, and word of mouth. Results will extend the theoretical concepts of Person-Environment transaction to the board and care context. Furthermore, results can be generalized to other rural and urban areas and can serve as the basis for consideration of policy issues related to the care of the unattached and poor dependent elderly.
| Eckert, J K; Lyon, S M (1991) Regulation of board-and-care homes: research to guide policy. J Aging Soc Policy 3:147-62 |
| Namazi, K H; Eckert, J K; Kahana, E et al. (1989) Psychological well-being of elderly board and care home residents. Gerontologist 29:511-6 |
