Empirical evidence in the gerontological literature supports the commonly held belief that older adults, overwhelmingly, prefer to remain in their own homes. Despite this fact, older adults residing in the community often express an expectation that they will move in the future.
There is a paucity of empirical findings on those factors which are most influential on the expression of an expectation of a future desire to move. Logistic regression was used to analyze data from the third wave of a longitudinal study of elderly Massachusetts residents residing in the community to identify possible antecedents to the expression of an expectation of a future desire to move. The perception that income was not adequate to meet expenses decreased the likelihood of expressing an expectation of a future desire to move for all respondents and for those with children in the area. A living arrangement which was other than alone or with a spouse only was significantly related to the expression of an expectation of a future desire to move for all respondents and for those without children in the area. Positive self-perceived health was found to increase the likelihood that an expectation of a future desire to move would be expressed.
A knowledge of the most important factors which contribute to the decision of an older community-dwelling adult to move from their comfortable, familiar surroundings should facilitate the implementation of programs and services which would obviate the need for some unnecessary moves and, consequently, make it possible for them to enjoy a wholesome life in the community for as long as possible.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-5765 |
| Date | 01 January 1990 |
| Creators | Goodman, Brenda K. |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | © The Author |
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