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Environmental Aspects of Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual and Empirical Issues

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Quality of Life in Old Age

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 31))

This chapter is based on the insight that person–environment relationships are essential components of the quality of life (QoL) of older people (Lawton, 1991; Walker, 2005). In addition to the social environment, the maintenance and improvement of autonomy and well-being of ageing individuals have much to do with the utilisation and optimisation of environmental resources such as housing and local amenities. Nevertheless, the mainstream of QoL research concerned with older people seldom provides in-depth consideration of the role of the environment as people age and, if it does, it is the social environment that is given primacy most frequently.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Ageing Research, University of Heidelberg, Germany

    Hans-Werner Wahl (Professor of Psychological Age)

  2. Department of Social and Environmental Gerontology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

    Heidrun Mollenkopf (Senior Research Scientist (retired)

  3. Department of Psychological Ageing Research, University of Heidelberg, Germany

    Frank Oswald (Senior Research Scientist and)

  4. Institute of Psychology, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany

    Christiane Claus (Research Assistant)

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  1. Hans-Werner Wahl
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  2. Heidrun Mollenkopf
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  3. Frank Oswald
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  4. Christiane Claus
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Environmental Gerontology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

    Heidrun Mollenkopf (Senior Research Scientist (retired) (Senior Research Scientist (retired)

  2. Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, UK

    Alan Walker (Professor) (Professor)

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Wahl, HW., Mollenkopf, H., Oswald, F., Claus, C. (2007). Environmental Aspects of Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual and Empirical Issues. In: Mollenkopf, H., Walker, A. (eds) Quality of Life in Old Age. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5682-6_7

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