The indoor home environment and self-rated health among older people using long-term care services

For older people using long-term care services, the conditions of their life-space may be critical. In the present study the relationship between aspects of the indoor home environment and self-rated health was examined among older people in Japan. A dataset (N=2,017) comprising older people (aged 65+, 40% men) with different levels of ADL dependence was utilized. Associations between self-rated health and aspects of the indoor home environment (assessed with interRAI tool) were examined by means of multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for socio-demographics. For individuals with high ADL independence, only low access to emergency assistance was significantly associated with poor self-rated health. For individuals with low ADL independence, lack of safety, poor sanitary conditions, low or high indoor temperature and state of home disrepair were significantly associated with poor self-rated health. Home care service providers and policy-makers need to consider the importance of appropriate environmental conditions for vulnerable older people.