Migration of Elderly People to Join Existing Households: Some Evidence from the 1991 Household Sample of Anonymised Records

Abstract

In this paper the extent to which migration of the elderly is linked to changing family living situations is explored. The work described is part of a larger project concerned with the relationship between migration, kinship, and household change. Discussions of the living arrangements of older people have often referred to moves made to join adult children or other relatives. In this paper we use the Household Sample of Anonymised Records to investigate moves of this type. The Sample of Anonymised Records allows the identification of individuals who have joined already existing households within the previous year. We make use of information on people over 65 years in Great Britain who have changed address in the previous year but are now part of a household some of whose members have not moved. This paper is confined to the limited range of information available from the 1991 census but it does allow us to estimate the number of older people making moves of this type, and to identify their age, sex, and marital status, and their relationship to the household they have joined. It is also possible to say something about the households which these people are joining, in terms of tenure and house type, and to describe the distribution of distances moved. Although the data do not allow direct inferences about whether these moves are related to the needs of the old people for care, the census question on limiting long-term illness provides data relevant to this issue.

Elderly narrative reflections on the contradictions in Turkish village family life after migration of adult children

“…Nearly 60% of the widows reside all year in an extended household compared to 18% of the married couples and neither of the single men (though both of these men still reside with young, unmarried daughters). This finding is supported by other studies, such as Al-Hamad, Flowerdew, and Hayes (1997), who concluded in their study of elderly who migrate to join existing households in England that bereavement was likely to precipitate such a move. Also, Table 3 shows that only one elderly, a widow, lives with her daughter and that is only when she is in Istanbul.…”

Living Arrangements and Health Status in Later Life: A Review of Recent Literature

“…Changes in household composition in situ are relatively rare (Hayes & Al‐Hamad, 1997; Jackson et al., 1991; Lichtenberg, MacNeill, & Mast, 2000; Mutchler & Burr, 1991; Pendry, Barrett, & Victor, 1999). Exceptions include several studies of incident intergenerational co‐residence (Al‐Hamad, Flowerdew, & Hayes, 1997; Mickus, Stommel, & Given, 1997; Roan & Raley, 1996; Speare, Avery, & Lawton, 1991; Worobey & Angel, 1990a), and life years of co‐residence (Schoeni, 1998). Although the unit of observation in studies of changing living arrangements is usually the older individual, some studies observe households making changes as a unit (Clark & Knapp, 1996; De Jong, Warland, & Root, 1998; Lin, 1997; Lu, 1998; Robison & Moen, 2000).…”

“…The most potent push factors include the death of a spouse and abrupt changes in income or employment, usually retirement. Health‐related events, such as recent hospitalization, short‐term nursing home admissions, or a sharp increase in outpatient visits, influence housing choices (Al‐Hamad et al., 1997; Chevan, 1995; Choi, 1996c; Colsher & Wallace, 1990; Cuba & Longino, 1991; Davis et al., 1996; De Jong, Wilmoth, Angel, & Cornwell, 1995; Forbes et al., 1997; Kan, 1999; Mickus et al., 1997; Mutchler, 1992; Mutchler & Burr, 1991; Roan & Raley, 1996; Robison & Moen, 2000; Silverstein, 1995; Spitze, Logan, & Robinson, 1992; Wolinsky et al., 1992). Recent changes in functional status also serve to destabilize households (Al‐Hamad et al., 1997; Anderson, James, Miller, Worley, & Longino, 1998; Angel et al., 1992; Bradsher, Longino, Jackson, & Zimmerman, 1992; Choi, 1996c; De Jong et al., 1995; Jackson et al., 1991; Longino et al., 1991; Miller, Longino, Anderson, James, & Worley, 1999; Silverstein, 1995; Speare et al., 1991; Spitze et al., 1992; Worobey & Angel, 1990a).…”

“…Early life course events and achievements have long‐term consequences on late‐life living arrangements and mobility. The number of living siblings, parity, and offspring gender affect household composition and migration (Al‐Hamad et al., 1997; Angel et al., 1992; Cagney & Agree, 1999; Choi, 1996a; Davis et al., 1996; De Jong et al., 1995; Espejo et al., 1999; Mickus et al., 1997; Mutchler, 1990; Schoeni, 1998; Silverstein, 1995; Sommers & Rowell, 1992; Speare et al., 1991; Spitze et al., 1992). Other historical factors, such as lower educational achievement, shorter residential tenure, and not being a home owner are related to more intergenerational co‐residence (Bradsher et al., 1992; Chevan, 1995; Choi, 1996c; De Jong et al., 1995; Lu, 1998; Mui & Burnette, 1994; Sommers & Rowell, 1992; Speare et al., 1991; Speare & Avery, 1993; Spitze et al., 1992).…”

Older People’s Perception of Changes in Their Living Environment after Relocation: A Case Study in Beijing, China

“…Individual, household, and social factors all have impacts on older people's relocation behavior. Older people's individual characteristics and socioeconomic status, such as age, gender, educational level, health status [9], economic status [10], and marital status [11,12] were identified to affect older people's relocation [13]. One important factor of the location choice for relocation by older people is the living distance from their adult children and friends, which has impacts on the convenience for taking care of their grandchildren, receiving care support from family members or social networking [14].…”