Staying Put: Factors Associated with Ageing in One’s ‘Lifetime Home’. Insights from the European Context

Authors

  • Celia Fernández-Carro Research Fellow Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics Campus UAB, Edifici E2 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain. tel. 0034 93 581 30 60. fax. 0034 93 581 30 61.
  • Maria Evandrou Head of the Division of Ageing/Gerontology University of Southampton Director of the Centre for Research on Ageing, Professor of Gerontology Professor of Gerontology Centre for Research on Ageing Social Sciences University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom

https://doi.org/10.4471/rasp.2014.02

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Abstract

‘Ageing in Place’ is a theoretical-practical concept used to promote those policies that facilitate older people stay at home as alternative to institutionalisation. While the political application of the term seems to presuppose universal benefits for those who age at home, critical gerontology has questioned alluding to the complexity of ageing process and the reductionist view that often underlies the institutional discourse around these policies. The aim of this article is to shed light on the premises assumed by the ‘Ageing in Place’ implementation, analysing the factors associated to a particular type of older Europeans; those with long-lasting residential trajectories. Using data from SHARE (wave 1, 2004), this work analyses the characteristics of those individuals aged 65 and over who for most of their life have presented a pattern of residential stability. The length of residential trajectory is assessed depending on socio-demographic characteristics, resources and support exchange networks and residential conditions. Special attention is paid to regional variations, comparing eleven countries of continental Europe. The main contribution of this article is to provide empirical findings that enhance the progression in an under-researched topic as residential immobility, discussing the assumptions that underlie to the implementation of ‘ageing in place’ policies in Europe, especially when it implies a disadvantaged living situation.

 

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Author Biographies

Celia Fernández-Carro, Research Fellow Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics Campus UAB, Edifici E2 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain. tel. 0034 93 581 30 60. fax. 0034 93 581 30 61.

Celia Fernández-Carro, BA in Sociology (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and PhD in Demography (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), is Research Fellow at the Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics, Barcelona, Spain. She has participated in a number of studies related with housing dynamics as “Demographic analysis of housing needs in Spain, 2005-2015” (2007-2010) or “Re-defining the population-housing linkage in a crisis context. A cross European view” (2011-2013). Her research interests include demographic ageing, environmental gerontology and the policy implications of elderly housing/care demands.

Maria Evandrou, Head of the Division of Ageing/Gerontology University of Southampton Director of the Centre for Research on Ageing, Professor of Gerontology Professor of Gerontology Centre for Research on Ageing Social Sciences University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom

Maria Evandrou is Head of the Division of Ageing/Gerontology and Director of the Centre for Research on Ageing, Professor of Gerontology, at the University of Southampton (United Kingdom). She also is director of the programme MSc Gerontology, MSc Gerontology (Research) and MSc Gerontology Distance Learning pathway. She has headed severalcompetitiveresearch projects with national and international scope, the latest being Simulating Social Policy in an Ageing Society, jointly based at Southampton and London School of Economics. Her research interest span three distinct but related areas of investigation: inequalities in later life; informal carers and employment; and the retirement prospects of future generations of elders.

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Published

2014-07-28

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Fernández-Carro, C., & Evandrou, M. (2014). Staying Put: Factors Associated with Ageing in One’s ‘Lifetime Home’. Insights from the European Context. Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 2(1), 28–56. https://doi.org/10.4471/rasp.2014.02

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