• Mary-Beth Coty, Colette McCammon, Carlee Lehna, Stephanie Twyman, and Erin Fahey.
• University of Louisville, School of Nursing, 555 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
• Geriatr Nurs. 2015 May 1; 36 (3): 177-81.

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing urban older adults and develop a thematic analysis of how these factors affect seniors' home fire safety (HFS) beliefs and practices. This was a focused ethnography using participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, public housing records, cognitive functioning, and general health status were assessed. Individual interviews were transcribed verbatim using a constant comparative analysis. Eight seniors participated in the study. Two main themes described older adults' HFS while aging in place: the risk associated with the living environment and the journey associated with maintaining independence. All participants experienced HFS challenges such as limited mobility and financial constraints. Participants' general health and cognitive status additionally influenced their ability to maintain HFS. The findings suggest that urban seniors may have diverse HFS environment risks compared with the general population, highlighting the need for older adult focused HFS interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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