Discuss Your 90 year-old grandmother will be visiting your home for a month next summer. Based upon the Environmental Fit Model, describe things in your environment that you may need to change for safety reasons and things that can stay the same to promote her competence while she is with you. Be sure to define, in detail, what you mean by “competence” as a goal you are aiming at helping your grandmother maintain or achieve while in your home.
See material below for discussion post
Person-Environment Fit
The impact of the environment on human behavior and well-being is widely recognized in diverse disciplines. Environment as a complex variable entered the realm of psychology in the early work of Kurt Lewin and his associates (Lewin, 1935, 1951; Lewin, Lippitt, & White, 1939). Lewin’s field theory (1935, 1951) emphasizes that any event is the result of multiple factors, individual and environmental; or more simply stated, B = f(P,E) (i.e., behavior is a function of personal and environmental characteristics). Accordingly, any change in characteristics of either the person or the environment is likely to modify that individual’s behavior. Optimal well-being is experienced when a person’s needs are in equilibrium with environmental features. For example, an older woman who has lived on a farm will adjust more readily to a small nursing home in a rural area than to a large urban facility. In contrast, an older couple who are city-dwellers may be dissatisfied if they decide to retire to a small home on a lake far from town; adaptation may be more difficult and perhaps never fully achieved. To the extent that individual needs are not satisfied because of existing environmental characteristics and level of “press,” P-E theories would predict that the person will experience frustration and strain.
The environment affects older people with ADL limitations the most because of their reduced capacity to control their surroundings, such as moving from an undesirable setting. Therefore, this perspective may be even more useful for understanding frail elders’ behavior than the actions of healthier older adults and younger populations.
The competence model … assumes that the impact of the environment is mediated by the individual’s level of abilities and needs. Competence is defined as “the theoretical upper limit of the individual to function in areas of biological health, sensation perception, motives, behavior, and cognition.” (Lawton, 1975, p. 7). Environmental press refers to the potential of a given environmental feature to influence behavior (for example, the extent of stimulation, physical barriers, and lack of privacy). For older adults who experience a decline in function and ability to perform ADLs and IADLs, the environment must be simplified and more supportive. But when the environment is too demanding, an individual experiences P-E incongruence. However, a given environment is not inherently good or bad for all older users. Instead, one must examine a physical setting vis-à-vis each elder’s competence. For example, an environment the enhances on older person’s activity level and autonomy may pose risks for another, resulting in falls and accidents (Iwarsson, 2004; 2005; Iwarsson et al., 2007; Wahl et al., 2009).
The practical implications of the P-E model are illustrated by examples of older persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Their cognitive deterioration may make them unable to recognize the incongruence between their needs and the environment, and certainly reduces their ability to reestablish congruence. Patients with dementia may become agitated unless others intervene to ensure environmental fit. Caregivers can simplify the environment to make it fit the individual’s cognitive competence; for example, by providing cues and orienting devices in the home to help the person move around without becoming lost or disoriented. The ultimate goal of any modification should be to maximize the older person’s ability to negotiate and control the situation, and to minimize the likelihood that the environment will overwhelm the individual’s competence.
The concept of life-space relates to the interaction between an elder’s competence and their physical environment. Defined as the distance a person travels to perform activities over a specified time (e.g., one week, one month), an individual’s life-space can range from the immediate surroundings of one’s bedroom to the home and neighborhood. For active elders, the usual pattern of mobility extends beyond the town where they live. Researchers who have created a tool to assess life-space note that the larger an elder’s life-space, the better their functional abilities, health status, and psychological well-being. Similarly, their longitudinal studies reveal that older adults whose life-space constricts over time also experience declines in ADLs and IADLs (Allman, Sawyer, & Roseman, 2006; Brown et al., 2009; Crowe et al., 2008).” (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011)
Definitions of Terms in the Person-Environmental Fit Model
Person is an individual with varying biological and psychological capabilities.
Environment is defined very broadly to include society, community, neighborhood, or residence. It includes physical (for example, temperature or hilly terrain) and social (for example, living situation or political climate) attributes.
Environmental Press results from demands made upon the person by the environment, and can range from minimal to very high.
Competence is the individual’s ability to deal with the environment.
When an individual is in a situation where the degree of environmental press matches that person’s level of adaptation, all is well, and the person can be said to be competent. Interestingly, individuals do best when environmental press is slightly higher than their competence level. I have emphasized the last sentence because it is so very important! In other words, a little challenge makes for a happier and more competent person. If environmental press is considerably lower than the level of adaptation, the individual will become bored and withdrawn (perhaps you’ve visited a facility that cares for elders where you’ve observed what happens when little is expected of people who could perform fairly well if allowed or expected to so). Logically, if environmental press is considerably higher than the level of adaptation, the individual will feel stressed and not be able to perform.
Leah, our example from above, seems to have adapted to some losses in vision by wearing glasses. She has also adapted by exercising to maintain or regain strength, flexibility, balance, and perhaps even some cognitive ability. And, she has chosen not to drive at night because that environment causes glare and she cannot see to drive safely. She has probably also altered her home environment, using principles of Universal Design, as described on the website listed on your reading list, to make it safer and more convenient, given some of her age-related changes. Despite the losses Leah has experienced during her aging process, she has been able to either adapt herself or modify her environment so that there is a satisfactory fit between the two. We could also guess that she might be coloring her hair and using face cream to soften the appearance of her crow’s feet in order to adapt to a society where youthful appearance is prized.
References
Cavanaugh, J. C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2006). Adult development and aging. (5th ed.) Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.
Cowgill, D. (1986). Aging around the world. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Hooyman, N.R. & Kiyak, H.A. (2011). Social gerontology: a multidisciplinary perspective. (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Mather, M. (2016, January 13) Fact sheet: aging in the United States.Person-Environment Fit
The impact of the environment on human behavior and well-being is widely recognized in diverse disciplines. Environment as a complex variable entered the realm of psychology in the early work of Kurt Lewin and his associates (Lewin, 1935, 1951; Lewin, Lippitt, & White, 1939). Lewin’s field theory (1935, 1951) emphasizes that any event is the result of multiple factors, individual and environmental; or more simply stated, B = f(P,E) (i.e., behavior is a function of personal and environmental characteristics). Accordingly, any change in characteristics of either the person or the environment is likely to modify that individual’s behavior. Optimal well-being is experienced when a person’s needs are in equilibrium with environmental features. For example, an older woman who has lived on a farm will adjust more readily to a small nursing home in a rural area than to a large urban facility. In contrast, an older couple who are city-dwellers may be dissatisfied if they decide to retire to a small home on a lake far from town; adaptation may be more difficult and perhaps never fully achieved. To the extent that individual needs are not satisfied because of existing environmental characteristics and level of “press,” P-E theories would predict that the person will experience frustration and strain.
The environment affects older people with ADL limitations the most because of their reduced capacity to control their surroundings, such as moving from an undesirable setting. Therefore, this perspective may be even more useful for understanding frail elders’ behavior than the actions of healthier older adults and younger populations.
The competence model … assumes that the impact of the environment is mediated by the individual’s level of abilities and needs. Competence is defined as “the theoretical upper limit of the individual to function in areas of biological health, sensation perception, motives, behavior, and cognition.” (Lawton, 1975, p. 7). Environmental press refers to the potential of a given environmental feature to influence behavior (for example, the extent of stimulation, physical barriers, and lack of privacy). For older adults who experience a decline in function and ability to perform ADLs and IADLs, the environment must be simplified and more supportive. But when the environment is too demanding, an individual experiences P-E incongruence. However, a given environment is not inherently good or bad for all older users. Instead, one must examine a physical setting vis-à-vis each elder’s competence. For example, an environment the enhances on older person’s activity level and autonomy may pose risks for another, resulting in falls and accidents (Iwarsson, 2004; 2005; Iwarsson et al., 2007; Wahl et al., 2009).
The practical implications of the P-E model are illustrated by examples of older persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Their cognitive deterioration may make them unable to recognize the incongruence between their needs and the environment, and certainly reduces their ability to reestablish congruence. Patients with dementia may become agitated unless others intervene to ensure environmental fit. Caregivers can simplify the environment to make it fit the individual’s cognitive competence; for example, by providing cues and orienting devices in the home to help the person move around without becoming lost or disoriented. The ultimate goal of any modification should be to maximize the older person’s ability to negotiate and control the situation, and to minimize the likelihood that the environment will overwhelm the individual’s competence.
The concept of life-space relates to the interaction between an elder’s competence and their physical environment. Defined as the distance a person travels to perform activities over a specified time (e.g., one week, one month), an individual’s life-space can range from the immediate surroundings of one’s bedroom to the home and neighborhood. For active elders, the usual pattern of mobility extends beyond the town where they live. Researchers who have created a tool to assess life-space note that the larger an elder’s life-space, the better their functional abilities, health status, and psychological well-being. Similarly, their longitudinal studies reveal that older adults whose life-space constricts over time also experience declines in ADLs and IADLs (Allman, Sawyer, & Roseman, 2006; Brown et al., 2009; Crowe et al., 2008).” (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011)
Definitions of Terms in the Person-Environmental Fit Model
Person is an individual with varying biological and psychological capabilities.
Environment is defined very broadly to include society, community, neighborhood, or residence. It includes physical (for example, temperature or hilly terrain) and social (for example, living situation or political climate) attributes.
Environmental Press results from demands made upon the person by the environment, and can range from minimal to very high.
Competence is the individual’s ability to deal with the environment.
When an individual is in a situation where the degree of environmental press matches that person’s level of adaptation, all is well, and the person can be said to be competent. Interestingly, individuals do best when environmental press is slightly higher than their competence level. I have emphasized the last sentence because it is so very important! In other words, a little challenge makes for a happier and more competent person. If environmental press is considerably lower than the level of adaptation, the individual will become bored and withdrawn (perhaps you’ve visited a facility that cares for elders where you’ve observed what happens when little is expected of people who could perform fairly well if allowed or expected to so). Logically, if environmental press is considerably higher than the level of adaptation, the individual will feel stressed and not be able to perform.
Leah, our example from above, seems to have adapted to some losses in vision by wearing glasses. She has also adapted by exercising to maintain or regain strength, flexibility, balance, and perhaps even some cognitive ability. And, she has chosen not to drive at night because that environment causes glare and she cannot see to drive safely. She has probably also altered her home environment, using principles of Universal Design, as described on the website listed on your reading list, to make it safer and more convenient, given some of her age-related changes. Despite the losses Leah has experienced during her aging process, she has been able to either adapt herself or modify her environment so that there is a satisfactory fit between the two. We could also guess that she might be coloring her hair and using face cream to soften the appearance of her crow’s feet in order to adapt to a society where youthful appearance is prized.
References
Cavanaugh, J. C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2006). Adult development and aging. (5th ed.) Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.
Cowgill, D. (1986). Aging around the world. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Hooyman, N.R. & Kiyak, H.A. (2011). Social gerontology: a multidisciplinary perspective. (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Mather, M. (2016, January 13) Fact sheet: aging in the United States.Person-Environment Fit
The impact of the environment on human behavior and well-being is widely recognized in diverse disciplines. Environment as a complex variable entered the realm of psychology in the early work of Kurt Lewin and his associates (Lewin, 1935, 1951; Lewin, Lippitt, & White, 1939). Lewin’s field theory (1935, 1951) emphasizes that any event is the result of multiple factors, individual and environmental; or more simply stated, B = f(P,E) (i.e., behavior is a function of personal and environmental characteristics). Accordingly, any change in characteristics of either the person or the environment is likely to modify that individual’s behavior. Optimal well-being is experienced when a person’s needs are in equilibrium with environmental features. For example, an older woman who has lived on a farm will adjust more readily to a small nursing home in a rural area than to a large urban facility. In contrast, an older couple who are city-dwellers may be dissatisfied if they decide to retire to a small home on a lake far from town; adaptation may be more difficult and perhaps never fully achieved. To the extent that individual needs are not satisfied because of existing environmental characteristics and level of “press,” P-E theories would predict that the person will experience frustration and strain.
The environment affects older people with ADL limitations the most because of their reduced capacity to control their surroundings, such as moving from an undesirable setting. Therefore, this perspective may be even more useful for understanding frail elders’ behavior than the actions of healthier older adults and younger populations.
The competence model … assumes that the impact of the environment is mediated by the individual’s level of abilities and needs. Competence is defined as “the theoretical upper limit of the individual to function in areas of biological health, sensation perception, motives, behavior, and cognition.” (Lawton, 1975, p. 7). Environmental press refers to the potential of a given environmental feature to influence behavior (for example, the extent of stimulation, physical barriers, and lack of privacy). For older adults who experience a decline in function and ability to perform ADLs and IADLs, the environment must be simplified and more supportive. But when the environment is too demanding, an individual experiences P-E incongruence. However, a given environment is not inherently good or bad for all older users. Instead, one must examine a physical setting vis-à-vis each elder’s competence. For example, an environment the enhances on older person’s activity level and autonomy may pose risks for another, resulting in falls and accidents (Iwarsson, 2004; 2005; Iwarsson et al., 2007; Wahl et al., 2009).
The practical implications of the P-E model are illustrated by examples of older persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Their cognitive deterioration may make them unable to recognize the incongruence between their needs and the environment, and certainly reduces their ability to reestablish congruence. Patients with dementia may become agitated unless others intervene to ensure environmental fit. Caregivers can simplify the environment to make it fit the individual’s cognitive competence; for example, by providing cues and orienting devices in the home to help the person move around without becoming lost or disoriented. The ultimate goal of any modification should be to maximize the older person’s ability to negotiate and control the situation, and to minimize the likelihood that the environment will overwhelm the individual’s competence.
The concept of life-space relates to the interaction between an elder’s competence and their physical environment. Defined as the distance a person travels to perform activities over a specified time (e.g., one week, one month), an individual’s life-space can range from the immediate surroundings of one’s bedroom to the home and neighborhood. For active elders, the usual pattern of mobility extends beyond the town where they live. Researchers who have created a tool to assess life-space note that the larger an elder’s life-space, the better their functional abilities, health status, and psychological well-being. Similarly, their longitudinal studies reveal that older adults whose life-space constricts over time also experience declines in ADLs and IADLs (Allman, Sawyer, & Roseman, 2006; Brown et al., 2009; Crowe et al., 2008).” (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011)
Definitions of Terms in the Person-Environmental Fit Model
Person is an individual with varying biological and psychological capabilities.
Environment is defined very broadly to include society, community, neighborhood, or residence. It includes physical (for example, temperature or hilly terrain) and social (for example, living situation or political climate) attributes.
Environmental Press results from demands made upon the person by the environment, and can range from minimal to very high.
Competence is the individual’s ability to deal with the environment.
When an individual is in a situation where the degree of environmental press matches that person’s level of adaptation, all is well, and the person can be said to be competent. Interestingly, individuals do best when environmental press is slightly higher than their competence level. I have emphasized the last sentence because it is so very important! In other words, a little challenge makes for a happier and more competent person. If environmental press is considerably lower than the level of adaptation, the individual will become bored and withdrawn (perhaps you’ve visited a facility that cares for elders where you’ve observed what happens when little is expected of people who could perform fairly well if allowed or expected to so). Logically, if environmental press is considerably higher than the level of adaptation, the individual will feel stressed and not be able to perform.
Leah, our example from above, seems to have adapted to some losses in vision by wearing glasses. She has also adapted by exercising to maintain or regain strength, flexibility, balance, and perhaps even some cognitive ability. And, she has chosen not to drive at night because that environment causes glare and she cannot see to drive safely. She has probably also altered her home environment, using principles of Universal Design, as described on the website listed on your reading list, to make it safer and more convenient, given some of her age-related changes. Despite the losses Leah has experienced during her aging process, she has been able to either adapt herself or modify her environment so that there is a satisfactory fit between the two. We could also guess that she might be coloring her hair and using face cream to soften the appearance of her crow’s feet in order to adapt to a society where youthful appearance is prized.
References
Cavanaugh, J. C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2006). Adult development and aging. (5th ed.) Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.
Cowgill, D. (1986). Aging around the world. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Hooyman, N.R. & Kiyak, H.A. (2011). Social gerontology: a multidisciplinary perspective. (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Mather, M. (2016, January 13) Fact sheet: aging in the United States.
