Trouble in paradise?: Reasons to relocate and objective environmental changes among well-off older adults

Drawing from an environmental gerontology perspective that highlights the proactivity of older adults, this study regards relocation from home to home predominantly as an active and goal-directed process of person-environment regulation. The main objectives of the study were to explore: (1) what kind of relocation motivations are prevalent, (2) what objective environmental changes are associated with relocation, and (3) what relations exist between motivations and environmental change. With respect to relocation motivations, the study differentiates between content (person, physical environment, social environment, other external or societal) and level of need (basic needs, anticipated basic needs, higher-order needs). Furthermore, four domains of objective change (household amenities, stimulation, availability of resources, social network) are addressed. Data collected by a phone interview procedure was drawn from a sample of 217 older adults (mean age = 70.7; range 60-89; 37.8% male and 62.2% female) who moved from home to home within a 3-year period (M = 1.9 years, S.D. = 0.9) before assessment. Results indicate that subjects had multiple reasons for moving, a considerable portion of which addressed higher-order needs. Subjects generally improved all domains of the socio-physical setting as a consequence of the move. The relationship between objective environmental change and subjective motivation could only be partially confirmed. However, links were found between basic needs and barrier reduction, as well as between-social motives and proximity of family after the move. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.