Giving Back and Staying Put: Volunteering as a Stabilizing Force in Relocation

Abstract

Relocation in older adulthood has been shown to have health-related and environmental triggering factors. This study explores the relationship between volunteering in a community and relocation. Using data from 2008 and 2010 Health and Retirement Study, which included 9,220 community-dwelling older individuals who were 65 years and older, our findings show that volunteering significantly reduces the likelihood of relocating out of the area, and such relationship is partially mediated by having friends nearby. This study is innovative because it identifies a stabilizing mechanism important for understanding “protective” factors, such as volunteering, as a way communities can retain older adults.

Choosing between staying at home or moving: A systematic review of factors influencing housing decisions among frail older adults

“…A total of 74 studies were published in peer-reviewed journals [ 10 , 21 – 28 , 30 – 99 ]; nine more were retrieved from doctoral theses [ 100 – 108 ] and three others from book chapters reviewed by editorial committees [ 29 , 109 , 110 ]. Over half were published after 2005 (n = 50) [ 10 , 21 – 23 , 25 – 39 , 44 , 46 – 48 , 51 , 53 , 55 – 58 , 60 – 62 , 64 – 66 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 74 , 77 , 78 , 80 , 81 , 84 – 86 , 88 , 90 – 92 , 96 , 98 , 99 , 106 ]. Over three quarters of independent studies were conducted in the USA (n = 48) [ 21 , 24 , 31 , 33 , 36 – 38 , 40 – 43 , 47 ,…”

“…Over half were published after 2005 (n = 50) [ 10 , 21 – 23 , 25 – 39 , 44 , 46 – 48 , 51 , 53 , 55 – 58 , 60 – 62 , 64 – 66 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 74 , 77 , 78 , 80 , 81 , 84 – 86 , 88 , 90 – 92 , 96 , 98 , 99 , 106 ]. Over three quarters of independent studies were conducted in the USA (n = 48) [ 21 , 24 , 31 , 33 , 36 – 38 , 40 – 43 , 47 , 51 , 54 , 55 , 57 , 58 , 62 , 63 , 65 – 67 , 70 , 71 , 73 , 75 , ...…”

“…Four more examined only during the decision process [ 51 , 60 , 64 , 69 ]. Three out of ten studies considered different steps in the housing decision process, whether before, during or after the decision was made [ 21 – 25 , 28 – 30 , 36 , 40 , 50 , 53 – 55 , 57 , 61 , 77 , 79 , 81 , 83 , 84 , 89 , 93 – 95 , 97 , 100 , 105 , 106 , 110 ]. Twelve studies addressed the housing decision as a purely hypothetical choice, and did not record whether or when the older adults had made an actual decision [ 38 , 52 , 60 , 68 , 72 , 76 , 88 , 90 , 93 , 98 , 101 , 105 ].…”

“…private dwelling, cooperative, assisted living, nursing home) [ 41 – 43 , 56 , 73 , 89 ]. In an additional 31 studies, the samples of older adults had either chosen to relocate or stay at home [ 10 , 21 – 30 , 34 – 37 , 39 , 40 , 45 , 53 – 55 , 57 , 61 , 64 , 67 , 69 , 75 , 77 , 78 , 84 , 86 , 87 , 94 , 95 , 99 , 110 ]. Five studies looked at the housing decision only among those who had decided to stay at home [ 66 , 80 , 91 , 100 , 109 ].…”

Senior housing at a crossroads: A case study of a university/community partnership in Detroit, Michigan.

“…or death of a spouse. Recent work has indicated that issues of relocation can be understood in terms of an individual’s volunteer experiences in a community (Author, 2014b) and individual and family decisions about the older adult’s disease progression of neurocognitive disorders (Author, 2015). …”