ABSTRACT
This chapter explores relationships between attachment to place and ageing for older residents of rural communities. It emphasizes the wide variety and complexity of ways in which people express or develop positive attachment. Whereas for some, social connections may be important, others may prioritise different modes or aspects of attachment. Place attachment is an expression of affective and positive person-to-place bonds that evolve through the connections and understandings that people develop with a specific place over time. Place attachment for older people in rural areas may operate differently than for those in more (sub)urban environments. The heightened place attachment that comes from a small-scale island community and strong bonds with familiar land/seascapes can also bolster older islanders’ well-being. Place attachment is a complex process which acts as both a motivator and a means for ageing in rural places, as well as often being an outcome of ageing in such places.
