Housing characteristics of low and moderate income older adults with and without disabilities

Housing is relevant to quality-of-life for older adults with and without disabilities, particularly those with limited financial resources. Among 4,898 low- and moderate-income community-living National Health and Aging Trends Study respondents, we describe and examine differences in housing characteristics of older adults with (n = 2774) and without disability (n = 2124). Next, among those with disability (self-care, household-activity, or mobility limitations), we examine associations of housing characteristics with adverse consequences due to unmet care needs, including soiling oneself or having to stay inside. In descriptive analyses, those with disability (vs without) more commonly rented, lived in subsidized housing, lived in apartments or mobile homes, and with home disorder, home disrepair, and street disorder. In adjusted logistic regressions among the subgroup with disability, several housing characteristics were statistically significantly associated with adverse consequences. Policy, programmatic, and clinical interventions that account for housing as an important social determinant of older adult quality-of-life should be advanced.