The purpose of the Digital home environment self-assessment tool is to enhance accessibility by aiding the identification of potential hazards in the homes of older adults with or without physical impairment or disabilities. It was designed to be a patient- (older adults) administered tool, and it may take a 11-60 minutes (23 minutes on average) to complete.
The tool consists of 89 questions that are divided into 13 sections: general safety, cleaning and maintenance, front entry and garden, hallways, kitchen, toilets, bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, laundry, backyard, internal steps, and neighbourhood. The possible responses for each question are “yes” (satisfactory) / “no” (needs improvement) and “not applicable.”
The housing quality indicators the tool assesses include indoor air quality, air conditioning, heating, lighting and accessibility.
Health status and risk factors Disability, Functional decline, Fall risk
Age group Older Adults
Assessor Older adults
Sections / items 13 sections; 89 items
Duration 23 mins
Self-administered Yes
Multi-component No
Indicators Indoor air quality; air conditioning; heating; lighting; accessibility; cleaning and maintenance; neighborhood safety
Authors Aclan, R., George, S., Laver, K.
Publication date 2023
Aclan, R., George, S., & Laver, K. (2023). A Digital Tool for the Self-Assessment of Homes to increase age-friendliness: Validity study. JMIR Aging, 6(101740387), e49500. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/49500