Elderly People and the Environment

The present volume in our series follows the format of the immediately in dealing with a topical theme of considerable impor­ preceding ones tance in the environment and behavior field. In view of current and projected demographic trends, it is a certainty that a broad-ranging set of issues concerned with the elderly and the physical environment will continue to be of focal pertinence-if not of increasing importance--in the remaining decades of this century. The present volume also follows in the tradition of earlier volumes in the series in being eclectic with respect to content, theory, and meth­ odology and in including contributions from a variety of disciplines, such as anthropology, economics, psychology, geography, and urban and regional planning. To have encompassed the whole array of disci­ plines and topics in this emerging field in a single volume would have been impossible. We trust that the sample of contributions that we have selected is provocative and that it will illustrate the range of problems and topics and point to promising areas of study and analysis. We are pleased to have M. Powell Lawton as a guest co-editor for this volume. His broad-ranging expertise, perceptive judgment, and fine editorial talents have contributed enormously to the volume.

1 Dimensions of Environment-Behavior Research: Orientations to Place, Design, Process, and Policy.- 2 Housing Older America.- 3 Retirement Communities.- 4 Alternative Modes of Living for the Elderly: A Critical Review.- 5 Aging in Rural Environments.- 6 Supportive Residential Settings for Older People.- 7 Human Factors Research and Functional Environments for the Aged.- 8 The Effects of Residential and Activity Behaviors on Old People s Environmental Experiences.- 9 A Complementary/Congruence Model of Well-Being or Mental Health for the Community Elderly.