ABSTRACT
Development in later life involves a dynamic of person-environmental exchanges over time. One of the most important developmental events in this regard is relocation. Although most elders want to remain in their homes, “. . . to move or not to move is really part of the aging in place debate” (Pastalan, 1995, p. 1). Consider two archetypical scenarios. First, there is the voluntary decision to move after a long period of residential stability, often early in retirement. This decision to relocate from one residence to another may be made after months or even years of evaluating positive and negative aspects of a long distance migration. It may involve discussions with friends and relatives, comparing costs of living and climates, reflection on vacation experiences and a final decision to move with a spouse to a more attractive setting with better amenities. In studying such moves, one might focus on demographic and geographical patterns, on personal and environmental predictors, on motivations, on the subjective experience of the event itself, or on the process of settling in and accommodation to the new environment. Under a second scenario, one may think of relocation as the result of a sudden health-related crisis in very old age. After an extended period of frailty and a short-term stay in a hospital, there may be a reluctant relocation into a long-term care facility. Again we may focus on demographics, on risk factors, on the relocation itself and on emotionally laden and often traumatic consequences of having to give up one’s home—a process that may lead to further health decline and even death.
