Disability, Residential Mobility, and Changes in Living Arrangements

Abstract

The extent of mobility and changes in living arrangements associated with disability were studied using data from the 1984-86 Longitudinal Study of Aging. It was hypothesized that persons with significant limitations in their ability to perform normal daily activities (ADLs and IADLs) in 1984 would be more likely to move, more likely to be living with others in 1986, and more likely to have entered an institution between 1984 and 1986 than those without limitations. When only those variables that were measured in 1984 were used as predictors, this turned out to be true for institutionalization and for living with others in 1986. However, among those remaining in households, residential mobility showed little relationship to disability when other variables were controlled. When the change in disability between 1984 and 1986 was added to the prediction equation, there were strong relationships between changes in disability and both residential mobility and adjustment in living arrangement, suggesting that people respond quickly to significant changes in disability. However, because we cannot be sure that the changes in disability preceded the mobility or changes in living arrangements, we cannot claim to have established a causal link between these events.

Adaptive strategies after health decline in later life: increasing the person-environment fit by adjusting the social and physical environment

“…Thus, there is a wide body of research on the impact of environmental factors on health (Balfour and Kaplan 2002;George 1996;Schwarzer and Leppin 1991), but hardly any on the consequences of health decline or functional loss for dealing with the environment. In the research we did Wnd, health only serves as a control in assessing changes people make to the environment (Lang 2000), or the focus is limited to either changes in social networks (e.g., van Tilburg and Broese van Groenou 2002) or changes in the physical environment (e.g., Iwarsson 2005;Speare et al 1991). Links between the social and the physical environment are rarely made (Wahl and Lang 2004).…”

Independent effects of peripheral nerve dysfunction on lower-extremity physical function in old age: the Women's Health and Aging Study.

“…Interest in loss of lower-extremity function with age relates to the observation that this loss predicts disability and loss of independence in the community (2,3). Accelerated decline in peripheral nerve function with age suggests that nerve function may influence functional decline, even in very old age (4).…”

Bienestar y patrones residenciales de la población que envejece y no convive en pareja. Europa occidental, 2004-2011

“…En cualquier caso, la pérdida de capacidad funcional erosiona la independencia residencial y aparece asociada a la convivencia con otros o a la institucionalización (Bishop 1986;Speare, Avery y Lawton 1991;Mutchler y Burr 1991;Worobey y Angel 1992;Mickus, Stommel y Given 1997;Zueras y Ajenjo 2010). Sin embargo, a nivel europeo se han observado particularidades según regiones.…”