Environmental Press, Aging in Place, and Residential Satisfaction of Urban Older Adults

Abstract

Sociologists who study and work with older adults often use the term “aging in place” when discussing older adults' residential environments. Aging in place suggests that what is best for older people (and society at large) is to remain in the residential environment (e.g. home and neighborhood) in which they have lived most of their lives. The goal of this study was to utilize the theory of environmental press in a sample of older adults living in the central city of Detroit to begin to understand their levels of satisfaction with their residential environment, and to examine potential limitations in the theory of aging in place. A random telephone survey was used in a sample of older adults (n = 604) living in the central city of Detroit, Michigan. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to test residential satisfaction using demographics, home hazards, neighborhood hazards, personal competencies, geographic location, and interaction variables. Home hazards, neighborhood hazards, geographic location, and interaction press measures predicted housing satisfaction (Nagelkerke R2=40.2 percent) and neighborhood satisfaction (Nagelkerke R2=50.5 percent). The environmental press and residential satisfaction of the highest and lowest mentally and physically functioning older adults were also investigated. Respondents who reported the lowest levels of mental and physical functioning also reported the lowest levels of residential satisfaction and faced the greatest environmental challenges. The results suggest that older adults occupying disadvantaged social locations may be overlooked in current practice definitions of aging in place.