Abstract
BackgroundCommunity environment might play an important role in supporting ageing in place. This paper aims to explore relocation at older age and its associations with individual and community level factors.MethodsThe postcodes of the 2424 people in the year-10 interview of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS) in England were mapped onto Enumeration Districts and linked to their corresponding Townsend deprivation score and the 2011 rural/urban categories. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to examine the influence of the baseline individual (age, gender, education and social class) and community (rural/urban categories and area deprivation) level factors on relocation over 10 years.ResultsOne-third of people moved residence after the age of 65 years and over. Older age, low education, low social class and living in rural areas at baseline were associated with higher probability of moving later in life. The likelihood of relocation in later life increased from least to most deprived areas (odds ratio: 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 2.8).ConclusionsUrban/rural contexts and area deprivation are associated with relocation at older age and indicate that community environment may be relevant to ageing in place.
Highlights
Relocation is a stressful life event, and even more so at older age, a period when moving is common.[1]
About 20% of people living in rural areas (Town and Fringe, Villages and Dispersed) in 1991 moved to the three urban categories (Major Conurbation, Minor Conurbation, City and Town) in 2001
Several individual level factors including older age, low education and low social class were associated with higher probability of moving and increased from least to most deprived areas in urban settings (OR: 2.00; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.44, 2.78)
Summary
Relocation is a stressful life event, and even more so at older age, a period when moving is common.[1]. Some people might change their residence in early older age after retirement (‘first move’), relocation at older age has been related to decline of physical and cognitive functions (‘second or third moves’).[5,6] Older people may need increased support through living with family, friends or moving to care settings involuntarily. Involuntary relocation at older age can be related to physiological or psychological disturbances and difficulties of regaining attachment and emotional connection to new residences.[7,8,9] The concept of ‘ageing in place’, which supports older people remaining living in their local environments could be beneficial to healthy ageing and has become a key research interest and policy area of the UK government and other developed countries.[10,11]. This paper aims to explore relocation at older age and its associations with individual and community level factors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
