Moving beyond ‘ageing in place’: older people's dislikes about their home and neighbourhood environments as a motive for wishing to move

Aging in climate change: Unpacking residential mobility and changes of social determinants of health in southern United States

The southern coastal states of the United States are susceptible to extreme weather and climate events. With growing move-in and -out older populations in the region, health implications of their residential mobility lack sufficient knowledge. Using 126,352 person-level records from 2012 to 2021, we examined geospatial and temporal patterns of older populations' residential mobility, considering the changing social determinants of health and disparities. We found the moves of older populations with socioeconomic or health disadvantages were related to increased exposure to environmental hazards and reduced access to health resources. The findings inform targeted strategies for climate adaptation that address the needs of vulnerable aging populations.

Do Health and Housing Attributes Motivate Residential Moves Among Older Chinese Adults? Evidence From an 8‑Year Follow‑up Study

Background and Objectives

Despite the widespread belief in aging-in-place as the preferred housing arrangement for older adults, they are increasingly embracing moving. The person-environment fit theory explains that environmental changes due to residential moves can pose health risks, discouraging older people from moving. However, it also suggests that moves may be suitable when living conditions no longer meet their physical needs. The correlation between older people's health, housing, and their subsequent moving or staying actions in China remains underexplored.

Research Design and Methods

Using alternative operating variables of key concepts and the China Family Panel Studies 2012-2018 data sets, this study examines the effects of health and housing status on older people's residential moves in China. The study outlines changes in health indicators and housing characteristics during multiple moves, as well as examines the relationship between the health and housing status of older adults and moving over a relatively long period of time using both regression models with lagged explanatory variables and fixed effects binary choice models.

Results

The results reveal that: (1) higher rates of subsequent moves were observed among older adults with better self-rated health, positive self-rated health changes, and no ADL impairment, but no significant associations were found between most health variables and moving; and (2) the correlation between older persons' house ownership/type and their residential moves was significant and consistent over time, steady and lasting.

Discussion and Implications

Potential mechanisms explaining the association between specific housing types and ownership statuses on moving are discussed. The findings encourage a focus on the positive benefits of moving in later life and how to provide additional housing options for older individuals.

Moving in together in later life: Making spaces into places as a joint endeavor

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We focus on the linkages between relocation, new forms of partner cohabitation, and retirement. What are the patterns and trajectories of moving in with a partner in retirement? How do older adults experience different transitions, place attachment, and placemaking when they move in with a partner?

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this qualitative study, 50 persons between 60 and 75 years old were interviewed in Sweden and Germany. For this paper, we focused on nine participants who experienced a relocation with a partner in retirement. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a strategy derived from social constructivist Grounded Theory and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Research participants described experiences of several relocations and cohabitation trajectories. In particular, we identified two patterns of relocating with a partner in retirement: moving into a new place with a partner and moving into a partner's pre-existing home, the latter proving more challenging for forming place attachment and for the couple relationship. Relocation experiences appeared to form a joint process in which relationships and retirement were renegotiated.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Using cross-cultural data, this novel study shows an unexpected diversity in housing and cohabitation trajectories among older adults. More research is needed to understand what "aging in the right place" with "the right person" really means and the role of life course trajectories and couple negotiations in such processes. Future research should focus on what comes before and after relocation rather than solely studying the decision-making process that leads up to a move.

Implications of Aging in Place in the Context of the Residential Environment: Bibliometric Analysis and Literature Review

The residential environment's impact on aging in place is a multidisciplinary field that draws from architecture, urban planning, gerontology, psychology, and sociology. This multidisciplinary nature makes it challenging to comprehensively understand the field and identify the connections and interactions among disciplines. A bibliometric analysis is crucial for exploring the field's intellectual structure, identifying interdisciplinary collaborations, and tracking the knowledge flow across disciplines and will facilitate cross-disciplinary dialogue, foster collaboration, and encourage research that integrates diverse perspectives. This study reviewed the literature on aging in place in the context of a residential environment, which required adapting theories and methodologies. It analyzed a dataset of 1500 publications retrieved from the Web of Science, applied performance analysis techniques, and utilized VOSviewer to visualize the intellectual structure and evolving research themes. The results emphasize the increasing strength of academic interest and the growing diversity of fields related to the topic. The findings are discussed in terms of productivity, collaboration, and research themes from the past to the future. The results provide a roadmap for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide who focus on aging in place and acknowledge the importance of considering the physical, social, and cultural aspects of an older adult's living environment.

"There isn't anybody else like me around here": the insider-outsider status of LGBT residents in housing with care schemes for older people

The intersections between aging, social minority status and housing needs in later life is a neglected area of sociological exploration, even more so for older people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT). Recent sociological findings indicate that older LGBT people in housing schemes stress the importance of bonding social capital and look to other people in their social networks who reflect their identities and experiences as sources of support. In this paper, we examine the insider-outsider status occupied by older LGBT residents living in housing schemes that provide some form of care and support, for example extra care and independent living schemes. We present qualitative findings generated from a mixed-methods study of social inclusion practices in housing with care in England and Wales (UK) (2019-22). In this study 15 LGBT residents participated in semi-structured interviews (55-79 years of age) across a total of 31 interviews. Through a queer gerontological lens we examine how older LGBT people are socially situated within mainstream housing schemes in which they experience partial visibility while also encountering exclusionary pressures that locate them as "the other." This insider-outsider status undermines the premise of housing with care schemes to provide safe, secure spaces to grow old. We discuss three core themes: (1) how LGBT residents navigate their outsider status in scheme life and how the intersection of disability and minority status amplifies this social location; (2) the exclusionary practices exercised by other residents that reinforce boundaries of sexual and gender normalcy; and, (3) the heightened importance of maintaining external social connections among LGBT residents. We conclude by introducing an alternative notion of marginal aging and expanding on the implications for housing providers, reflecting on their responsibilities for promoting and maintaining queer-friendly environments.

Aging in Place or Institutionalization? A Multiscale Analysis of Independent-Living Older Adults From Four Large Cities in China's Yangtze River Delta

Background and Objectives

Aging in place (AIP) has been adopted as a key strategy to cope with the global public health challenge posed by population aging. The current study aimed to understand the association between older adult's AIP preference and various social and physical environmental factors at different scales.

Research Design and Methods

Following the ecological model of aging, this paper conducted a questionnaire survey of 827 independent-living older adults (60 years old and above) from four big cities in China's Yangtze River Delta region and employed a structural equation modeling method for analysis.

Results

Older adults from more developed cities exhibited a stronger preference for AIP than those from less developed cities. Individual characteristics, mental health, and physical health had a direct impact on AIP preference, whereas the effect of the community social environment was not significant. The perceived and objectively measured community-built environment indirectly affected AIP preference via mediation and chain effects.

Discussion and Implications

Complex paths affecting AIP preference were identified. At the city level, the social environment had a stronger influence than the physical environment on AIP, and the opposite pattern was observed at the community level. Mental health and physical health had opposite effects on AIP preference. Although physical health was negatively associated with AIP, age-friendly communities with compact, diverse, and accessible built environments have a positive impact on older adults' physical health and therefore should be promoted.

Identifying Aging Adults' Housing Preferences: An Age-Friendly Initiative

Community planning around housing needs of older adults is, at present, very understudied. This study stemmed from a practical need to determine the housing preferences of residents as part of an Age Friendly Community initiative. Data presented in this paper focus on the quantitative component of a sequential mixed methods study examining attitudes and preferences about housing. This first phase of this project involved data collected from 1,514 residents aged 30+ using a researcher-devised survey of 43 items. There was little difference in housing preferences between older and younger respondents or among those with varying financial means. Analysis revealed the most important housing considerations were safety in home, affordability, privacy, proximity to services frequently used, and accessibility. An unexpected finding was that almost half of older respondents expressed a willingness to share a home with a roommate. There were also differences in preferences on home environment based on current marital status. Data suggests that city planners and property developers should prioritize these preferences when planning for the housing-related needs of older residents. Future research should examine the interpretation of housing preferences, such as qualitative exploration of what it means for housing to be "safe" or 'affordable.'

Aging in Place: Connections, Relationships, Social Participation and Social Support in the Face of Crisis Situations

OBJECTIVES

We seek to identify active coping strategies used by older adults to face the pandemic and to deal with daily stressors, and to clarify which factors had an effect on stress, positive emotions and depression in active and healthy community-dwelling older adults in the first and second year of the pandemic in Costa Rica.

METHODS

Participants were living in their own homes in Costa Rica (n = 218, mean age 69.96, 82.1% women). Participants were interviewed by phone and answered an online survey, which included socio-demographic information, mental health variables such as stressors (perceived health and fear of COVID-19, illness, perception of pandemic gravity), loneliness (whether they felt lonely and how often they felt lonely), access to Information and Communication Technologies, socio-emotional coping variables, social participation and physical activity level during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Positive socio-emotional indicators related to well-being such as self-efficacy, social support, perceived health and proactive behavior were high. Negative well-being indicators such as perceived stress, emotional COVID-19 fear and loneliness showed low values in the sample studied during both years. We found significant relations across the dependent variables (perceived stress, positive emotions and depression) by studying the psychological well-being coping strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the importance of coping strategies and social participation in the capacity of older adults to mitigate the negative psychological consequences of crisis situations and provide evidence of "aging in place".

Aging in place among older adults with histories of traumatic experiences: A scoping review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Adverse childhood and adult experiences can have far-reaching impacts, and when coupled with typical aging-related changes, may impede achievement of a suitable person-environment fit for aging adults. The objective of our study was to determine if extant literature connects older adults with trauma history to successfully aging in place.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We proposed a conceptual model regarding trauma history, adaptive capacity of aging adults, and trauma-informed supports for aging in place. We conducted a scoping review using six databases [key words older adult(s), aging in place, housing, trauma], with a full review of 32 articles.

RESULTS

Insights included: 1) Aging in place does not have to mean living in the same house over time. 2) The uncertainty of the aging process can be traumatic and can be exacerbated by previous traumatic experiences. 3) Environmental sensitivities can result from previous traumatic experiences and cause further trauma. 4) Housing precarity is a traumatic experience. 5) Permanent supportive housing is an important resource for people in crisis. 6) Community supports are critical to aging in place.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our review revealed insights about aging in place and trauma, but did not connect the vulnerabilities specific to aging adults with personal trauma histories to aging in place. Research is needed that confirms the relationship between history of traumatic experiences and difficulties with aging in place as well as trauma-informed approaches that can mitigate housing-related stressors and foster community living environments that provide equitable access to aging in place.

Understanding Aging in Place: Home and Community Features, Perceived Age-Friendliness of Community, and Intention Toward Aging in Place

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Promoting age-friendliness of communities and supporting aging in place (AIP) are of great importance. Based on processes of belonging and agency, which suggest that person-environment interactions influence residents' evaluations and behaviors related to the environment, this study aims to examine the interrelationship between the availability of age-friendly features, perceived age-friendliness of community, and intention toward AIP.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This study used the 2015 AARP Age-Friendly Community Survey, which includes 66 home and neighborhood features under the eight domains specified by the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities Guidelines. A series of regression and mediational analyses were conducted to test hypotheses.

RESULTS

Overall, a greater availability of age-friendly features was positively associated with perceived age-friendliness of community and AIP intention. The relationship between age-friendly features and AIP intention was mediated by perceived age-friendliness of community (50.3% to 96% of the total effects). When perceived age-friendliness of community was introduced to models, the direct effects of housing, outdoor spaces and buildings, and transportation domains remained significant.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Findings suggest that a greater availability of age-friendly features influences older adults' perception on their community, leading to the development of a desire to age-in-place, supporting processes of belonging and agency. Domains of housing, outdoor spaces and buildings, and transportation may be the most important features in promoting age-friendliness of community and the key determinants of aging in place. Policy makers and practitioners may need to prioritize promoting age-friendly built environment before social environment in building age-friendly communities.

Older people as active agents in their neighbourhood environments: Moving house can improve quality of life

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Neighbourhood environments are an important aspect of well-being for older people. Developments of the general ecological model recognise older people as active agents who adapt their environments to fit their changing needs. We provide empirical support for a model suggested by Wahl et al., by examining interactions between neighbourhood environments, personal situations, relocation, and quality of life among older people.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Two statistical models were tested with a sample of community dwelling participants (aged 55-89) in the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal surveys conducted in 2016 (T1) and 2018 (T2). Multiple linear regression assessed the association of perceptions of housing and neighbourhood with quality of life (QoL) at T1 (n = 3682).

RESULTS

QoL was predicted by housing satisfaction, and neighbourhood satisfaction, accessibility, and trust (controlling for age, gender, marital status, home ownership, SES, physical health and mental health). Mixed ANOVA showed that those who moved house between T1-T2 reported lower housing and neighbourhood satisfaction than non-movers at T1. Over time T1-T2, movers reported less decline in housing satisfaction, and more positive change on all neighbourhood perceptions, with higher perceptions of neighbourhood accessibility than non-movers at T2.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

These findings support the theoretical model and provide impetus for more detailed study of the effects of the environment on well-being in older age. Housing and neighbourhood environments are a very practical focus for social policy change at local and national levels.

Aging in place and the places of aging: A longitudinal study

Aging in place policies have been adopted internationally as a response to population aging. The approach historically referred to the goal of helping people to remain in their own homes so that they can retain connections with friends and family in their community. However, the places in which people grow old are often hostile and challenging, presenting potential barriers to the policy ideal of aging in place. This may be especially the case in cities characterized by rapid population turnover and redevelopment of buildings through urban regeneration. Yet, to date, there has been limited research focusing on the places of aging, and how these affect the experience of aging in place over time. This paper addresses this gap by presenting four in-depth case-studies from a qualitative longitudinal study of older people living in neighborhoods characterized by high levels of deprivation and rapid population change. The analysis illustrates how aging in place is affected by changing life-course circumstances and the dynamics of these neighborhoods over time. The conclusion suggests that further attention must be given to the changing dynamics of the places where people grow older. It also makes policy suggestions for how aging in place could be supported, taking account of the needs of people as they grow older as well as changes in the communities in which they live. The paper extends theoretical understanding of the interrelationship between aging in place and the places of aging, revealing how these processes change over time.

Healthy Ageing in Place: Enablers and Barriers from the Perspective of the Elderly. A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Most elderly people wish to grow old at their own homes. The sociodemographic characteristics; home and neighbourhood conditions; and the social services support and networks are determinants in the possibility of "ageing in place". The present study aimed to explore the ageing in place phenomenon, as well as the enablers and barriers that interact in a healthy ageing from the perspective of the elderly connected to local entities.

METHODS

A generic qualitative design was proposed in the Health Region of Girona in Catalonia (Spain). Seventy-one elderly people were purposefully selected. Six focus groups were conducted, and data were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Three key themes were generated: (1) Participants experienced ageing differently. The physical and mental health, the family environment and financial stability were key elements for life quality. (2) The perception of the elderly's role in the community depended on their age, health status and attitude towards life. (3) The participants identified several enablers and barriers to healthy ageing in place.

CONCLUSIONS

The promotion of older people's autonomy and wellbeing, together with the creation of an active network of health and social services, may improve the possibility for elderly to age at home and avoid or delay institutionalisation.

Qualities of the environment that support a sense of home and belonging in nursing homes for older people

The aim of this study was to contribute with knowledge about how a sense of home and belonging is enacted and can be supported in everyday life, with a particular focus on the relationships that connect everyday life and the environment in nursing home contexts. The concepts ‘a sense of home’ and ‘belonging’ were chosen with the ambition to grasp values grounded in experiences and everyday practices, with an openness for various aspects that can support an enjoyable life and comfort for nursing home residents. The study focused on communal areas, e.g. dining room, kitchen, corridors and gardens, that serve as arenas where nursing home residents’ everyday lives expand beyond the private room. Ethnographic methods were applied to identify and explore situations where a sense of home and belonging were enacted in nursing homes that had been acknowledged as good examples of nursing home environments. Through the analytic process, four qualities were identified: (a) a cornerstone for stability and everydayness, (b) the beating heart, (c) spatial dynamics, and (d) magnetic places. Following from the chosen methodology, the findings provide a situated understanding of how communal areas in nursing homes can invite a sense of home and belonging for the residents.

Older People’s Preferences for Housing and Environment Characteristics

Population ageing presents significant challenges for many countries, one of which is the provision of adequate housing. Developing understanding of the needs and preferences of ageing societies will be crucial in order to assist in the provision of suitable housing and communities that are sustainable in the long term. While a preference to ‘age in place’ is clear in the literature, comparatively less academic research is available on older people’s preferences for more specific housing and environment attributes. The aim of this study is to identify the main housing and environment characteristics that are linked to the health and wellbeing of the elderly and determine the preferences for such characteristics via a survey with UK residents aged 55+. The results indicate a strong preference for independent living and an increasing desire for bungalows in later life. Housing conditions, energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and home adaptions to facilitate ageing in place are particularly important housing characteristics to older people. The location and environment are also key drivers of housing preferences; a safe neighbourhood, accessibility to amenities, public transport, and a clean and walkable environment are particularly important. Preferences varied with age, but gender has a less significant impact on the preferences expressed. The findings of this study will be valuable for stakeholders engaged in housing policy and provision for older people.

Emerging evolution trends of studies on age-friendly cities and communities: a scientometric review

Population ageing, together with urbanisation, has become one of the greatest challenges throughout the world in the 21st century. Approximately one million people turn 60 each month worldwide. By 2050, more than 20 per cent of the global population is predicted to be 60 years old or above. Thus, an increasing need is evident for age-friendly communities, services and structures. Numerous studies on age-friendly cities and communities (AFCCs) have been conducted over the past decade. The large volume literature makes it necessary to figure out key areas and the evolution trends of studies on AFCCs. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of existing literature pertaining to AFCCs. A total of 231 collected publications are analysed and visualised by CiteSpace. According to the keywords and document co-citation networks that are generated, the foundation, hot topics and domains of AFCC research are grouped. Three major themes, namely the characteristics of AFCCs, the application of the World Health Organization's framework in urban and rural areas worldwide, and the measurement of cities’ and communities’ age-friendliness, are identified. In addition, a roadmap of AFCC research is developed. The results of this research will therefore benefit researchers and practitioners.

Housing Choices of Older People: Staying or Moving in the Case of High Care Needs

Despite the development of various housing options across Europe, older people often face the choice of staying at home with the support of family and/or formal services or moving to a care home, but how people vary regarding these preferences and how newer cohorts will be different is under-researched. This study explores the housing choices of older people under the condition of liminality, which is defined as the hypothetical condition of high care needs. The most common choices available are compared; that is, staying at home (with social home-care support or visits to a daycare centre) or moving to supported housing or a care home. Cluster analysis revealed five distinct groups of older people that were differentiated in their choices between various options of moving versus staying at home, either by using home care or daycare. Differences between the clusters along three dimensions that influence decisions to move or stay, namely levels of attachment, satisfaction with housing and availability of support, which often function as limits on the options that are preferred, were explored. The results present the complexity of the decision-making process under imagined conditions of liminality and show a great diversity among people’s preferences. They also indicate that a significant share of older people have a strong preference for only one option (two of the cluster groups).

Definitions, key themes and aspects of ‘ageing in place’: a scoping review

The purpose is to give an overview of the extent, range and nature of existing definitions of the concept ‘ageing in place’. Providing such an overview may be helpful, for policy makers, researchers, communities and service providers, to make sense of the versatility and uses of the concept, and allow the improvement and increase the success of efforts to contribute to the quality of life of older people. The overview was created using Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology. Out of 3,692 retrieved articles, 34 met the inclusion criteria. These studies concentrate on the following five key themes concerning ‘ageing in place’: ‘ageing in place’ in relation to place, to social networks, to support, to technology and to personal characteristics. Each of these key themes consists of other aspects, like physical place and attachment to place for the keyword place. This study concludes that the concept ‘ageing in place’ is broad and can be viewed from different (i.e. five) key themes. A more thorough understanding of ‘ageing in place’ provides knowledge about the existing key themes and aspects. These findings might provide practical support for professionals and governments when they develop their policies about ‘ageing in place’ integrally and to develop fit policies.

The Concept of Aging in Place as Intention

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to frame the aging in place (AIP) concept within an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model incorporating environmental domains. The proposed model depicts the direct and indirect effects of environmental domains on AIP intention. The environmental domains related to meanings of home embrace personal, built, and interpersonal environments. As partial mediators between the environmental domains and AIP intention, TPB components (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control toward AIP) were included to the model.

METHODS

The study sample comprised older adults aged 60 and older living in their own homes in the United States. Participants (N = 650) were obtained through an online survey with a nationwide sample. Path analyses were used to test hypothesized relationships within the proposed model.

RESULTS

The results confirmed the significant mediating role of the TPB components between the path from personal, built, and interpersonal environments to AIP intention. Except for one built environmental construct (housing satisfaction), personal and interpersonal environmental constructs were found to indirectly affect AIP intention. One of the interpersonal environmental constructs, social connectedness, was revealed as the strongest factor in this relationship.

IMPLICATIONS

One major implication was drawn from the role of social connectedness and neighborhood satisfaction toward AIP intention. These factors operate beyond an individual level and are closely interrelated. Because social connectedness can be promoted or discouraged by community-level physical or social interventions, the findings of this study confirm the critical role of community-level planning and programs to support healthy aging among older adults.

The temporal aspects of mobility intentions: older people's reflections on present and future support arrangements

Discourses on later-life housing and care are polarised. Ageing in place – typically in one's long-term dwelling – is often presented as the most desirable living arrangement, while moving to a congregate environment tends to be regarded as a last resort. Such polarised discourses obscure older people's experiences as they contemplate needs for housing, health and social care. To expand current understandings of mobility intentions, this paper examines ‘time work’ – or actions undertaken to exert some agency over time – as older people with chronic health conditions and disabilities navigate present and future support arrangements. Based on an interpretive analysis of qualitative interviews with 22 older persons receiving home care in Ontario, Canada, I identify three themes that highlight the temporal aspects of mobility intentions: (a) maintaining continuity with the past and present, (b) constructing alternative futures and (c) facing precarity. Focusing on time work shows how people make sense of ageing in place and/or relocating not only in relation to their physical, social and psychological capacities, but also in relation to perceptions of the past, present and future. Time work, moreover, has implications for feelings of security in the present and a sense of control over the future. Based on these findings, I make suggestions for developing a comprehensive continuum of supports, so all older people can make meaningful choices concerning housing and care.

Neighbourhood identification buffers the effects of (de-)gentrification and personal socioeconomic position on mental health

Previous studies have suggested that the effects of gentrification on long-term residents' mental health depends upon individual socioeconomic position. However, the role of social psychological moderators of these effects remains unexplored. Drawing on the social identity approach to health, we examine whether social identification with the neighbourhood can be protective of mental health for residents in the context of (de-)gentrification. Using multi-level modelling in a longitudinal Australian sample (N = 8376), we show that neighbourhood identification protects the mental health of residents who live in neighbourhoods that undergo positive or negative neighbourhood socioeconomic status change.

The Best Day of the Week: New Technology Enhancing Quality of Life in a Care Home

Older people living in residential aged care facilities tend to be physically as well as socially inactive, which leads to poorer health and reduced wellbeing. A lack of recognition of the importance of social support, limited resources, lack of training and task-oriented work routines leave little time for staff to meet the social needs of residents. Through qualitative ethnographic fieldwork, this study investigates the potential for new technologies to enhance quality of life and facilitate meaningful engagement in physical and social activities among culturally and linguistically diverse residents and staff in care facilities. A continuum from nonparticipation to full participation among residents was observed when Touch Screen Technology activities were implemented. Data indicate that resident’s engagement is impacted by five interdependent factors, including environmental, organisational, caregiver, patient, and management- &government-related. Findings show that new technologies can be used to increase meaningful physical and social engagement, including transcending language and cultural barriers. However, the successful application of new technologies to enhance quality of life is dependent on their integration into the daily routine and social relationships of staff and residents, with the full support of management. Guidelines governing the use of new technologies to support meaningful engagement of older people in residential care are lacking: this project highlights the importance of attention to the social relational dimensions of technology interventions to support best practice in their use.

Is migration in later life good for wellbeing? A longitudinal study of ageing and selectivity of internal migration

Migration scholarship has recently paid attention to lifecourse and non-economic effects of moving house. Yet consideration of the effects of internal migration in later life has been relatively neglected despite their implications for social and spatial inequalities. Thus we address two questions: how trajectories of wellbeing in later life vary for movers and non-movers, and how the event of moving affects wellbeing. In both cases we distinguish between "voluntary" and "involuntary" movers. We use 10 years (2002-2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to analyse trends in wellbeing for age cohorts and to examine how wellbeing changes through the event of moving. The Control, Autonomy, Selfrealisation and Pleasure (CASP-19) measure of wellbeing is used. We find that, after controls for demographic and socio-economic characteristics, involuntary movers have lower levels of wellbeing than stayers or voluntary movers; and involuntary movers experience a stabilisation in the decline in wellbeing following migration which is not seen for voluntary movers. So, migration in later life is good for wellbeing, maintaining advantageous wellbeing trajectories for voluntary movers and improving wellbeing trajectories for involuntary movers. These findings imply a rich potential of ELSA and similar longitudinal datasets for examining residential mobility; the need for ageing inequalities studies to take more account of residential mobility; the need for internal migration scholarship to pay greater attention to reason for move; and for policy to consider the potentially beneficial effects of residential mobility in later life, particularly for those in adverse circumstances.

"It's a nice country but it's not mine": Exploring the meanings attached to home, rurality and place for older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults

An ageing population across European nations, including the United Kingdom, brings with it new challenges for health and social care services and precipitates social policy initiatives targeted at meeting the care and support needs of a rapidly expanding number of older people. Ageing in place is one such policy driver-policy efforts that seek to promote the maintenance of older citizens residing in their own homes for as long as possible with minimal state intervention. Current generations of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people have endured homophobia throughout their life histories, and sexual identity can shape perceptions and experiences of ageing, including experiences of home life, community and place. Our objective is to examine the meanings attached to home and place for older LGB adults living independently across three dimensions: rural places as "home," connections to LGB communities, and social care provision in the home. We present interview findings from a mixed-methods study on the social inclusion of older LGB adults in Wales. Twenty-nine LGB-identifying adults (50-76 years) self-selected to participate in semistructured interviews between 2012 and 2013. Thematic findings from interviews indicate varying and contradictory meanings attached to home life in rural places, the importance of connection to communities of identity across geographical and online localities, and a high degree of ambivalence towards the prospect of receiving social care services in the home. We argue that a more nuanced understanding of the subjective meanings attached to home, rurality and community for older LGB people is needed to fully support LGB citizens to continue to live independently in their homes.

Patterns of changing residential preferences during late adulthood

Earlier research on residential mobility has demonstrated a tendency for the young old of the 55+ population to prefer peripheral locations, whereas older age groups choose central locations. Here, we present survey results indicating that such late-adulthood differences in preferences are supported by age-related shifts corresponding to differences in housing preferences expressed by individuals in peripheral as well as central locations in Sweden. A sample of 2,400 individuals aged 55 years and over was asked to select the seven most important characteristics of a dwelling from a list of 21 alternatives (Survey of Housing Intentions among the ELDerly in Sweden (SHIELD), 2013). The preferences expressed were used as dependent variables in logistic regressions to determine to what extent the housing preferences of older people are linked to age, gender, socio-economic status and type of geographical area. The results demonstrated a close link between neighbourhood characteristics and housing preferences. Owning the dwelling, having a garden and access to nature were stressed as important by individuals living in non-metropolitan middle-class areas and in suburban elite areas. The youngest cohort expressed similar preferences. Older age groups instead stressed the importance of an elevator, single-storey housing and a good design for independent living; preferences that have similarities to those expressed by individuals living in large cities and smaller urban centres where such housing is more readily available.

Age-Friendly Communities and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly in Urban China

This study aims to examine the extent to which older adults’ perceptions of environmental age-friendliness are associated with their life satisfaction. We used a national representative sample ( N = 9,965) with elders aged 60 and above from urban China and structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship among community characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and life satisfaction. Results showed that older people’s perceptions of housing conditions, local amenities, and social inclusion were significantly associated with general life satisfaction. Multigroup comparison tests indicated that no disparities in the aforementioned relationships among SES subgroups. However, the socioeconomically disadvantaged elderly population was shown to have the lowest assessment of community age-friendliness. Findings emphasized the potential role of age-friendly communities as having an influential force on older adults’ subjective well-being, regardless of their SES. Meanwhile, policy makers and practitioners should pay special attentions to improve the living environments of disadvantaged elders.

Utilization of Formal and Informal Home Care: How Do Older Canadians’ Experiences Vary by Care Arrangements?

This study investigates how the receipt of formal, informal, and/or a combination of both types of care at home relates to older adults’ perceived loneliness, life satisfaction, and day-to-day lives. Quantitative analyses using the Canadian Community Health Survey ( n = 3,928) reveal that older adults who only received formal care reported lower levels of loneliness and higher levels of life satisfaction when compared with respondents who received informal or a blend of home care. Qualitative analyses of persons aged 65+ years receiving formal and informal home care in Ontario ( n = 34) suggest that formal care bolstered care recipients’ autonomy and reduced their sense of being a burden on family. In turn, receiving formal care served to improve these older adults’ social connectedness and well-being. Findings underscore older adults’ symbolic, functional, and emotional attachment to formal care services, as well as the limitations of a reliance on informal support.

Photovoicing the neighbourhood: Understanding the situated meaning of intangible places for ageing-in-place

Ageing-in-place is considered important for the health of older adults. In this paper, inspired by a constructivist approach to ageing-in-place, we unravel professionals' and older adults' constructions of ageing-in-place. Their perspectives are studied in relation to a policy that aims to develop so-called 'lifecycle-robust neighbourhoods' in the southern part of the Netherlands. We conducted a photovoice study in which 18 older adults (70-85 years) living independently and 14 professionals (social workers, housing consultants, neighbourhood managers and community workers) were asked to photograph and discuss the places they consider important for ageing-in-place. Based on a theoretically informed analysis of the data, we found that professionals primarily consider objective characteristics of neighbourhoods such as access to amenities, mobility and meeting places as important enablers for older adults to remain living independently. Analysis of older adults' photographs and stories show that they associate ageing-in-place with specific lived experiences and attachments to specific, intangible and memory-laden public places. We conclude that exploring these experiences helps to increase current knowledge about place attachment in old age.

Ageing in place: residential satisfaction in Polish housing-estate communities

During the period of economic and political transformations in Poland, considerable changes occurred in large housing estates, while demographic transformation and housing-stock ageing starting to aggravate social and spatial problems. The serious issue currently dominating such estates concerns the process of natural ageing of the housing stock and residential ageing which is associated with the reduction of residential mobility and demographic ageing of people living in the large housing estates. This paper intends to identify ageing of the estates’ population in the context of the evaluation of residential life quality. The authors concentrated on analysis of 2002 and 2011 statistical data, as well as data collected during their field surveys conducted in 2010–2012. Detailed studies were carried out on seven estates in five cities and towns in Poland (Kraków, Poznań, Tarnów, Żyrardów and Dzierżoniów). To identify the residential standard and quality of life, surveys were conducted on housing estates which allowed the researchers to establish the essential factors which determined the level of satisfaction of older people with regard to their place of residence. The authors also determined the course of changes in the perception of particular aspects of life quality in the process of residents’ ageing in the selected places of residence.

Meanings of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’: constructing versus attaching to places

In Western welfare states, notions of age-friendly communities and ageing-in-place are increasingly important in new health policies. In the Netherlands, care reforms are modifying the former welfare state to be more participatory; local governments are seeking collaborative solutions. Municipalities and housing, care and welfare organisations in the southern part of the country developed the concept of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’, envisioned as places where older people can age-in-place. Although many scholars have used the concept ageing-in-place in their studies of neighbourhoods, we aim to unravel this concept further by exploring how this particular ageing policy plays out in practice. This paper explores what the development of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’ means in relation to notions of ageing-in-place and age-friendly communities. We used ethnography (interviews, observations and focus groups) to reveal how, on the one hand, the policy makers, housing, care and welfare directors and representatives of older people, as developers of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’ and, on the other hand, older people, give meaning to places to age-in-place. It becomes clear that ageing-in-place has a different meaning in policy discourses than in practice. While developers mainly considered place as something construable, older people emotionally attached to place through lived experiences.

Homelessness and aging: The contradictory ordering of 'house' and 'home'

The concepts of 'house' and 'home' are compelling and contradictory. They are compelling because they elicit the desired sentiments of permanence, feeling 'at home', and maintaining continuity in one's life. At the same time, they can be experienced as contradictory where organizational practices and the socio-cultural imperatives of individual responsibility, cost containment, and rationed services are concerned. Where 'house' tends to evoke a sense of permanent stability, 'home' is regarded as the ideal living environment and site of care for older people. Yet, a consideration of the challenges that occur at the intersections of age and homelessness highlights a tension between the taken-for-granted ideal of 'home' for older people, and programs organized around 'housing' for homeless people. To begin, we ground our work in a critical perspective to the study of aging and briefly sketch the state of knowledge on homelessness in late life. We then explore the contradictions that occur at the intersections of age and homelessness, including the discursive ordering of 'house' and 'home,' the configurations of access and barriers, and aging in undesirable locations. In our conclusion, we draw attention to inequalities and the need for a life course perspective to ground future thinking. Our conceptual discussion is based on insights gained from a 3-year project on older homelessness in Montreal, Canada.

Refining the push and pull framework: identifying inequalities in residential relocation among older adults

Older people consider moving home when there is a discrepancy between actual and desired living conditions. This study builds on the classic push and pull framework described in the early work of Lee and Wiseman by identifying whether or not individual differences among older people can be predictive for certain push and pull reasons (such as housing, health, neighbourhood and social contact). On the basis of data from the Belgian Ageing Studies (N = 35,402), it was found that 13.9 per cent of older respondents had moved in the last ten years (N = 4,823). An analysis of the movers revealed inequalities in the reasons for moving in later life and raises the question of whether a relocation is voluntary (being able to move) or involuntary (being forced to move). Respondents with lower household incomes and poor mental health were significantly more likely to have moved because of stressors pushing them out of their previous dwelling, whereas older people with higher household incomes or home-owners were mainly pulled towards a more attractive environment.

Not ageing in place: Negotiating meanings of residency in age-related housing

PURPOSE

This article explores the experience of residing in age-related housing. The focus is on the negotiations around the multiple meanings assigned to place of residency among older people - in a situation where the official policy objectives of growing old in one's own home are not achieved.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Narrative analysis is employed to study the experiences of older people aged 75 or older living in special types of housing due to actual or anticipated difficulties associated with age. The interviews are part of a larger body of data gathered in MOVAGE Moving in Old Age: Transitions in Housing and Care research project.

FINDINGS

The storyworld was structured by the romantic canonical narrative associated with the policy of 'ageing in place'; growing old at home is idealised and moving is constructed as a disruption. This breach was resolved through explaining deviance from canonical expectations by causes constructed as legitimate, through encountering trouble by constructing oneself as a non-typical resident, and through creating counter stories of natural transitions and choices. As a result, despite the commonly negative meanings associated with the residency in age-related housing, positive storylines respecting values embedded in the canonical narratives of home and endurance were achieved.

IMPLICATIONS

A living environment that is experienced as suitable, and that has adequate formal help available, supports and enables wellbeing and independence. This is true within age-related housing as well as in other forms. Thus, even though the important meaning of a long-term home should continue to be acknowledged, various other kinds of forms of housing should be made available in order to enhance older people's sense of security and feeling that they are autonomous, independent agents in their everyday life in accordance with their subjective life experiences.