A ‘Whole-Person’ Approach to Housing for Older People
Appleby Blue Almshouse offers an exciting opportunity for the charity to develop and extend our role in research and learning. We want to make a valuable contribution to understanding in the sector, in a range of key learning areas, related to housing, wellbeing, and community involvement for older people.
The unique features of Appleby Blue can lead to greater understanding around many areas such as the value of a ‘whole person’ approach to older people’s housing and social needs; the value of intergenerational activities for community cohesion and wellbeing; and the continuing and unique contribution older people can make to their community.
Our Partnership with The Dunhill Medical Trust
We are excited to be working closely with The Dunhill Medical Trust as they seek to fund cutting-edge research into healthy ageing, and we are looking forward to being a host organisation for researchers who can help further our shared research and learning ambitions.
To find out more about Dunhill’s call for research proposals, and the possible areas of research at Appleby Blue, and with other partners, click here.
Areas of Interest
Key areas of research interest include:
- Activities for older people within and around living environments and communities including, for example, education/learning, the facilitation of skills/knowledge exchange, cooking, gardening etc.
- Architecture, design and the built environment within and around older people’s living environments and communities, including transport and housing supply/demand/planning etc.
- Comparative studies of older people’s living environments and communities, including international comparisons
- Connections and community within and around older people’s living environments, including services and people (such as residents, carers, families, friends, peers, staff, volunteers and intergenerational considerations etc.)
- COVID-19’s impact on older people’s living environments and communities, and what we can learn for the future
- Equity, diversity and inclusion in older people’s living environments and communities
- Older people’s pathways through living environments and health systems, and how various factors interact and affect long-term trajectories in living environments and health
- Technological advances in older people’s living environments and communities
Find out More
We believe a whole range of different areas of work at the new Almshouse would make excellent subjects for study, from architecture and design, to technology, support and care practices, and many more.
You can find out more about our approach to activities and connections to community in the ‘Appleby Kitchen’ community centre/ public access spaces in the almshouse here.
Appleby Kitchen: Concept Paper
This only represents one small part of the work, and potential research subjects, at Appleby Blue. As we develop further papers and information of relevance, we will post them here.
Further Research
We are also very open to conversations with other potential research partners for now and the future. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further.
