Application of the Model of Allostasis to Older Women’s Relocation to Senior Housing

Abstract

Adjustment to senior housing entails significant lifestyle changes and is a stressful process. The adaptation process is dynamic and has yet to be studied using the conceptual model of allostasis. This article presents exemplars of women whose profiles represent three allostatic states: successful adaptation (homeostasis), ongoing adaptation (allostasis), and maladaptation (allostatic load). Older women who had relocated to senior housing participated in three interviews and monthly saliva sample collection over a 6-month period. Saliva was assayed for diurnal cortisol secretion. Triangulation of mixed methods was used to analyze data, and psychosocial data were mapped onto the cortisol graphs to illustrate changes in stress reactivity and well-being. Coping abilities, perceptions of stressors, and cortisol measures provide a detailed picture of the interplay among events and perceptions and the effects of both on well-being. The case exemplars provide detailed information on the complexity of psychosocial and physiological components of the model of allostasis. This study also fills a gap in knowledge on negative relocation outcomes using the allostatic model.