What is it about?
The combination of reduced birth rates and increased life expectancy has changed the demographic balance. Demographic shifts and a rapidly ageing population are some of Europe’s challenges. The aim of this special issue is to strengthen the field of facility management and real estate with an emphasis on how to facilitate adequate housing for persons with special needs, such as the elderly and disabled persons.
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Why is it important?
Živa Kristl, Alenka Temeljotov Salaj and Athena Roumboutsos’ paper provides a comprehensive overview of research about adaptive reuse of heritage buildings with special emphasis on sustainability, universal design and facility management. Arsalan Gharaveis’ literature review of environmental design’s impact on elderly citizens’ physical activity uncovered that having more walkable areas may improve the elderly inhabitants’ level of physical activity. Walkable areas may also facilitate more socialisation among the inhabitants. Physical activity is of great importance for maintaining elderly persons’ physical health. Socialisation is of great importance for maintaining elderly persons’ mental health. About 90% of the houses in the UK and about 70%–80% of the houses in Germany contain accessibility barriers for people with emerging functional impairments. Independent living can lower the costs of health care and improve the well-being of old persons. David Bogataj, Valerija Rogelj, Marija Bogataj and Eneja Drobež’ developed a reverse mortgage scheme with embedded longevity and long-term care insurance as a possible financial instrument to facilitate better long-term care services and housing with care in assisted-living facilities. The novelty or financial innovation is the portable insurance products that make it possible for homeowners to move in their own specialised housing units with assisted-living facilities and keep the existing reverse mortgage contract with no additional costs.
Perspectives
In summary, this special issue of Facilities presents a state-of-the-art review, one methodical study and one financial innovation concerning how facility management and real estate may facilitate housing for persons with special needs.
Associate professor Knut Boge
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Guest editorial, Facilities, August 2020, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/f-07-2020-156.
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