The concept of disability and its causal mechanisms in older people over time from a theoretical perspective: a literature review

Ines Mouchaers (), Hilde Verbeek, Gertrudis I. J. M. Kempen, Jolanda C. M. Haastregt, Ellen Vlaeyen, Geert Goderis and Silke F. Metzelthin
Additional contact information
Ines Mouchaers: CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University
Hilde Verbeek: CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University
Gertrudis I. J. M. Kempen: CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University
Jolanda C. M. Haastregt: CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University
Ellen Vlaeyen: KU Leuven
Geert Goderis: Academic Centre for General Practice, KU Leuven
Silke F. Metzelthin: CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University

European Journal of Ageing, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, No 6, 397-411

Abstract: Abstract Ageing with a disability increases the risk of hospitalization and nursing home admission. Ageing in place interventions aiming to reduce disability are often not sufficiently effective and inadequately theory-based. There are many models available on disability, but it is unclear how they define disability, what their differences are, and how they evolved throughout the years. This paper aims to provide an overview of the evolution of these models and to elaborate on the causal mechanisms of disability. A literature review was conducted as part of the TRANS-SENIOR international training and research network. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched, and snowball sampling was applied to eligible publications. Data were extracted from the included publications, and a thematic analysis was performed on the retrieved data. Overall, 29 publications were included in the final sample. All included models arose from three original models and could be divided into two types: linear models and models on the interaction between the person and the environment. Thematic analysis led to three distinct evolutionary trends: (1) from a unidirectional linear path to a multidirectional nonlinear path, (2) from the consequences of disease towards the consequences of person–environment interaction, and (3) from disability towards health and functioning. Our findings suggest that by optimizing the use of personal as well as environmental resources, and focusing on health and functioning, rather than disability, an older person’s independence and wellbeing can be improved, especially while performing meaningful daily activities in accordance with the person’s needs and preferences.

Keywords: Disability; Ageing in place; Theory; Model; Person–environment fit; Older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-021-00668-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:19:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s10433-021-00668-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.springer ... iences/journal/10433

DOI: 10.1007/s10433-021-00668-w

Access Statistics for this article

European Journal of Ageing is currently edited by Marja Aartsen, Susanne Iwarsson and Prof. Dr. Matthias Kliegel

More articles in European Journal of Ageing from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().