Developing Residential Design Statements for the Hearing-Impaired Elderly

Hearing impairments are the third most prevalent chronic condition facing individuals 65 years and older. Sociodemographic trends suggest a further growth in magnitude and incidence of this handicap. Current residential design principles for the hearing-impaired elderly are limited and do not adequately reflect the complex nature of the problem. Researchers have noted that rules or statements that can compensate are not well specified. This article presents a systematic procedure for developing design statements appropriate to the needs of the hearing-impaired elderly. In contrast to traditional approaches, the procedure emphasizes a systematic review of the medical literature on the auditory capabilities of the older individual. Intermediate environmental concepts are developed from this review and provide a basis for a set of performance-based design statements for the hearing-impaired elderly. These statements are compared with standards currently being promulgated by the American National Standards Institute.