Elderly migration: household versus individual approaches

Relocation remembered: perspectives on senior transitions in the living environment

The experience of aging may necessitate transitions in living environments, either through adaptations to current residences or through relocations to more supportive environments. For over a half century, the study of these transitions has informed the work of researchers, health and mental health providers, policymakers, and municipal planners. In the 1970s and 80s, knowledge about these transitions advanced through Lawton and Nahemow's ecological theory of competence and environmental press, Wiseman's behavioral model of relocation decision making, and Litwak and Longino's developmental perspective on senior migrations. This article revisits influential theoretical frameworks that contribute to our understanding of senior transitions in living environments. These seminal works are shown to inform recent studies of relocation and gerontology. This article concludes with a call for a view on housing transitions that reflects the contemporary context.

Built environment and its influences on walking among older women: use of standardized geographic units to define urban forms

Consensus is lacking on specific and policy-relevant measures of neighborhood attributes that may affect health outcomes. To address this limitation, we created small standardized geographic units measuring the transit, commercial, and park area access, intersection, and population density for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Cluster analysis was used to identify six unique urban forms: central city, city periphery, suburb, urban fringe with poor commercial access, urban fringe with pool park access, and satellite city. The urban form information was linkable to the detailed physical activity, health, and socio-demographic data of 2,005 older women without the use of administrative boundaries. Evaluation of the relationship between urban forms and walking behavior indicates that older women residing in city center were more likely to walk than those living in city periphery, suburb communities, and urban fringe with poor commercial access; however, these women were not significantly more likely to walk compared to those residing in urban fringe with poor park access or satellite city. Utility of small standardized geographic units and clusters to measure and define built environment support research investigating the impact of built environment and health. The findings may inform environmental/policy interventions that shape communities and promote active living.

The Changing Roles of Disability, Veteran, and Socioeconomic Status in Elderly Interstate Migration

This research explores how interstate elderly migration behavior through the life course has changed over time by examining the role of individual characteristics in different types of moves. The authors focus on disability, veteran, and socioeconomic status, which research suggests are linked with differing motives for elderly migration. Using data from the 1970-2000 Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), descriptive and multivariate analyses show that disability status has grown in importance while veteran and socioeconomic status have declined or remained stable. These changes are unique to the elderly. The growing role of disability in elderly migration is geographically universal, extending to both return (a proxy for assistance-related migration) and nonreturn migration. Possible explanations include a tendency for the “first” (amenity-based) elderly move to occur at younger ages and a decline in primarily milder disabilities that leads to relatively more severe disabilities—and need for assistance—of those remaining.

Topography, Culture Areas, and Integration of Retired Migrants in a Coastal North Carolina County

The later life migration literature includes analyses of migration streams, examination of later life migration precursors, the economic impact of migration, and meta-analyses advocating methodological refinement. Missing are studies of later life migrants post relocation, including their social integration in receiving communities. The small area analysis presented here evolved in consultation with a local Planning Committee including older adults and service providers that guided development of an aging services plan for Dare County on the North Carolina Outer Banks. Multiple methods were applied, including secondary historical and contextual data, in-depth interviews, and a brief survey of older adults using services. Findings suggest difference among communities in the integration of later life migrants with older natives that provides context for service needs and delivery. Community difference stems from topographical land form characteristics, socioeconomic and cultural difference between later life migrants and older natives, and the course of residential development across communities.

Measurement of late-life residential relocation: why are rates for such a manifest event so varied?

OBJECTIVES

This methods article examines how characteristics of residential relocation (e.g., housing type) and research design decisions (e.g., level of analysis, geographic scale) influence reported rates for residential relocation among older adults.

METHODS

Examination of key studies on late-life residential relocation (1992-2005) revealed a wide range of residential mobility rates and factors that contributed to this variation. These rates were rescaled to a common 5-year time period to allow for a degree of comparison across methodological approaches.

RESULTS

We identified a wide range of rates for residential relocation in the literature (from 5% to more than 30% for a 5-year time period). Research design decisions accounted for much of the variation in these rates across studies; geographic scale was associated with the greatest amount of variation.

DISCUSSION

We translate the findings into concrete suggestions for investigators. The article provides the background needed to identify the research design best suited to the end purpose of studies on residential relocation (e.g., inform economic policy, understand the individual's aging experience, plan for long-term-care systems). These methodological issues are also relevant to other areas of investigation in which relocation influences the variables being studied (e.g., caregiving, urban planning, neighborhood development).

Living arrangements and health status in later life: a review of recent literature

The living arrangements of older persons play a key role in their use of formal and informal care, as well as in their health and well-being. Nurses engaged in primary care, discharge planning, and home care are strategically positioned to contribute to an optimal fit between older persons and their home environment. This article describes the demographic significance of late-life living arrangements and proposes a model for organizing the complex web of factors associated with household composition and late-life migration. The article then summarizes qualitative and quantitative evidence in support of the proposed model. Key areas for nursing research and strategies for applying available research are identified.