257 THIRTEEN Transitions in kitchen living: past experiences and present use Sheila Peace, Martin Maguire, Colette Nicolle, Russ Marshall, John Percival, Rachel Scicluna, Ruth Sims, Leonie Kellaher and Clare Lawton Introduction In Britain today, living arrangements vary: we live on our own, as couples, in families or in non-related groups, across a range of dwelling types and experiencing different forms of domesticity and tenure. While older members of the population are likely to have experienced rented accommodation during their lives, over the past 30
generational and age-related issues, means that the design of many household items (such as the height of kitchen cupboards in the ‘Transitions in Kitchen Living’ study) are too high for comfort. The last sizing survey, relevant to garment design, was carried out in the 1950s when the average female size was imperial size 12, which has now risen to approximately size 15. NDA research has involved the first study in capturing the size and shape of active agers, within the 60–75 year age range, to inform, for example, the design of a functional clothing ‘layering
team work to the same methodology and learn new skills (Walker, 2018). Transitions in Kitchen Living study One of the small-scale NDA projects was the Transitions in Kitchen Living study raised earlier ( Maguire et al, 2014 ; Peace et al, 2018 ). This research shows some of the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research, as the project was carried out by social gerontologists from the OU (Peace, Percival) and ergonomists/designers from the Design School at Loughborough University (Maguire, Marshall, Nicol, Sims, Lawton). Details are given in
January 2012-January 2013). • Kitchen living: Transitions in Kitchen Living (TiKL) – Sheila Peace, Open University (November 2011). • OPUS: Older People’s Use of Unfamiliar Space – Judith Phillips, University of Wales (April 2010). • Cardiovascular ageing: Dynamics of cardiovascular ageing – Aneta Stefanovska, Lancaster University (March 2012). • Longitudinal ageing: Trajectories of senescence through Markov models – David Steinsaltz, University of Oxford (June 2012). • Ageing and fiction: Fiction and the cultural mediation of ageing – Philip Tew, Brunel
’ is generated, on which the biomechanical demands of activities were represented visually at the hip and knee joints as a percentage of the person’s maximum capability. This innovation not only saves time and money, but also enables other health professionals and non-experts to understand the physical processes at work. The project’s evaluation showed how valuable this visual tool can be in both diagnosis and patient understanding. Sheila Peace and her colleagues focus on kitchen living and design in Chapter Thirteen. This unique project examined the kitchen
and Identity: Contemporary visual art and identity construction – Wellbeing amongst older people – Andrew Newman, Newcastle University (October 2011) (follow-on funding January 2012–January 2013)* • Kitchen Living: Transitions in kitchen living – Sheila Peace, Open University (November 2011) • OPUS: Older people’s use of unfamiliar space – Judith Phillips, University of Wales (April 2010)* • Cardiovascular Ageing: Dynamics of cardiovascular ageing – Aneta Stefanovska, Lancaster University (March 2012) • Longitudinal Ageing Model: Trajectories of senescence
-methods approaches that were used to examine historical, cultural, social, lifestyle and contextual factors that influence and shape the diverse food environments of older adults. The environments explored in these project include the home, the wider community, supportive housing (extra-care and sheltered), and in hospital. The chapter seeks to augment the discussion of specific questions of nutrition with insights into the social aspects of eating – what we regard as a novel contribution of the NDA Programme. Project descriptions ‘Transitions in kitchen living’ (TiKL) The
benefit from enhanced communication across disciplines, allowing a more joined-up approach to healthcare and design planning. • The visualisations allow a deeper understanding of the issues within professions, both in healthcare and in design. • There is potential to improve the uptake and integration of biomechanical expertise and understanding into design and healthcare practice. Chapter Thirteen: Transitions in kitchen living • Oral histories of the kitchen from the 1920s, ’ 30s and ’ 40s show that space, storage, equipment, tasks, meanings, social etiquette
). Politics, economics and housing form 52 Shelter is not enough Table 3.2: Comparison of recommended room sizes for housing in 1944 and 1952 (figures in square feet) 1944 Housing Manual Houses 1952 The kitchen living room house Kitchen living room 180-200ft2 180ft2 Sitting room 110-120ft2 110ft2 Scullery 35-80ft2 50ft2 The working kitchen house Living room separate dining space 180-200ft2 180ft2 Living room plus dining space 235-245ft2 225ft2 Working kitchen 90-100ft2 90ft2 The dining kitchen house Living room 169-180ft2 160ft2 Dining kitchen 110-125ft2 110ft2 Bedrooms
cupboards Count all other rooms, for example: kitchens, living rooms, utility rooms, bedrooms, studies, conservatories If two rooms have been converted into one, count them as one room How many of these rooms are bedrooms? Include all rooms built or converted for use as bedrooms, even if they are not currently used as bedrooms An occupancy rating of 0 indicates that the accommodation meets the requirements of the residents, a value of 1 or greater indicates the number of rooms in the accommodation that are in addition to the required number, and a value of –1 or less
