ABSTRACT
Housing for the elderly is one of the most unappreciated of the important issues confronting our society. Housing for all age groups bears significantly on the quality of life, affecting physical health, status, friendship formation, and access to neighborhood services. Older persons place special importance on housing because they are likely to spend more time in it, have more difficulty taking care of it, and have stronger psychological attachments to it (having more often lived in the same place for many years) than their younger counterparts. If there is a poor fit between the capabilities of older persons who have become frail and their environments, they may give up activities unnecessarily or carry them out in a dangerous manner, either of which can contribute to accidents, isolation, and premature or unnecessary institutionalization.
