The hidden impact of home adaptations: Using a wearable camera to explore lived experiences and taken-for-granted behaviours

Wilson, Gemma, Aitken, Dominic, Hodgson, Philip and Bailey, Catherine (2019) The hidden impact of home adaptations: Using a wearable camera to explore lived experiences and taken-for-granted behaviours. Health & Social Care in the Community, 27 (6). pp. 1469-1480. ISSN 0966-0410

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Abstract

Most adults over 65 years old, live in mainstream housing in the UK, yet these can often be unsuitable for an individual’s needs. With increased understanding of the relationship between housing, and health and well-being, the importance of modifying the home to suit individuals is recognised as being paramount. However, it is often difficult to monitor the ways in which home adaptations and equipment are used in the home. This study used innovative wearable technology to explore everyday, lived experiences of using home adaptations and equipment. Six older adults who had received a major home adaptation in the last 24 months took part in this study. Each participant used a wearable camera for one day and participated in a semi-structured interview whilst watching the images back as a ‘slideshow’. Using this novel approach, three themes were generated from the data: acquiring adaptations and equipment, adapting routine and changing behaviour, and inconsistent and unintended uses. The findings of this study opens up the complexity of the lived experience of using home adaptations and equipment. Experiences from access to longterm outcomes are personal, and individuals modify and use the adaptations in various ways to suit their own needs. The wearable camera allowed additional insight into lived experience that would otherwise not have been captured without its use, as the photographs acted as a way of stimulating conversation and highlighting taken-for-granted behaviours not often consciously considered by the individuals.

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