ABSTRACT
Most of the theories on the environment and the psychology of ageing have been built on observations of older people in institutionalised care. However, this cohort is not a representative sample of the older population as only around 5% of people over the age of 65 live in such an environment (Bell et al., 1996), and most are there because their failing mental or physical bodies are no longer able to cope unassisted. Consequently, these theories over-emphasise the decrements of old age (Carp, 1987; Ranzijn, 2002).
