The American Retirement Community: Bane or Blessing?

Bultena, Gordon L.; Wood, Vivian

doi:10.1093/geronj/24.2.209

Cited by 52 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Perhaps the most persuasive arguments for such communities lie in the claim of increased quality of life for residents. The classic study of Bultena & Wood (1969) which compared individuals in ‘age‐specific’ and ‘age‐integrated’ communities, found the individuals from ‘age‐specific’ communities scoring higher in terms of life satisfaction. Other studies have also found that age‐specific communities can improve morale and stimulate healthy lifestyles (Longino & McClelland 1978, Osgood 1982, Lucksinger 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the health impact of age-specific housing

Kingston

Bernard

Biggs

et al. 2001

Health &Amp; Social Care in the Community

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It has been claimed that 'retirement communities', defined in this instance as voluntary communities of older people living in shared, purpose-built housing, combine the best attributes of residential and community living. Subjective health status may thereby be improved through a culture in which independence and autonomy are actively promoted. Concern has also been raised that age-segregated communities of this sort might produce 'ghettos' of increasing dependency and service demand. This study, conducted over a 12-month time period, found that when compared to older people living in the local neighbourhood, the retirement community population maintained their physical and mental health (utilising measures including the SF36, Life Satisfaction Index, and 18 semantic differentials). Investigation of these findings indicated that peer support and safety/security, and 'autonomy with inclusion' were key factors in maintaining health status.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the health impact of age-specific housing

Kingston

Bernard

Biggs

et al. 2001

Health &Amp; Social Care in the Community

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“…Assessments of age-specific planned retirement communities have ranged from their being described as 'unnatural and stultifying environments' and 'elderly ghettos' (Forrest and Leather 1998) to 'an exciting new concept of meeting the needs of the aged' (Bultena & Wood 1969). For Phillips et al (2001, p. 207), the positive aspects revolve around a general sense of optimism and a tangible pioneering spirit that represents a new beginning for many residents, and which recaptures the sense of community, neighbourliness and security that they feel is lacking elsewhere.…”

Section: Lived Experience In Firhallmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a seminal comparison of 'age segregated' and 'age integrated' retirement communities, Bultena and Wood (1969) found residents of the former expressed a higher life satisfaction. Studies have also shown that age-specific communities can improve morale and stimulate healthy lifestyles (Osgood et al 1964).…”

Section: Positive Perspectives On Retirement Villagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Retirement Village as a Residential Environment for the Third Age – The Example of Firhall, Scotland

Pacione

2012

Scottish Geographical Journal

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Retirement villages represent a recent addition to the range of residential options for older people in the UK. Research has focused on the development and nature of retirement housing in the public and voluntary sectors in England. Limited attention has been directed to the private retirement communities and, in particular, to the lived experience of residents in private sector retirement villages. This research, which is the first study of a private retirement village in Scotland, overcomes this information deficit by identifying the nature and growth of private retirement villages in the UK and exploring the lived experience of residents of the private retirement village of Firhall. The discussion is organised into four main parts. Part I examines the concept of the retirement village. Part II explains the growth and geography of retirement villages in the UK. Part III comprises the empirical analysis of the case study retirement village. The research identifies the social, economic and demographic characteristics of the village population and provides insight into lived experience of the residents in the study village. Finally, in part IV, the discussion identifies a number of key issues for further research, and the potential contribution of retirement villages for meeting the needs and preferences of the growing third age population of the UK.

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“…It is suggested that these findings are not only significant for our understanding of the nature of "total institutions" but are also suggestive with respect to the more general issue of disengagement and aging. The fact that involvement in interactional events is greater among the institutionalized elderly (and other residents of "grey ghettos") is consistent with a theory of aging which views disengagement among the elderly as a response which is historically specific to the position which they occupy within the structure of age stratification characteristic of advanced capitalism.During the past decade social gerontologists have given increasing attention to the role which age-segregated communities seem to play in curtailing the tendency of the aged towards disengagement and social isolation (Rosow, 1%7;Bultena and Wood, 1%9; Gubrium, 1973). In Hochschild's (1975) terms, residents of age-segregated communities for the aged tend to have higher levels of both "social engagement" -the extensiveness of an individual's social bondsand "normative engagement" -the emotional importance and meaning attributed to these social bonds.…”

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confidence: 99%

Institutionalization and disengagement among the elderly*

Myles

1979

Canadian Review of Sociology

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Lanalyse qui suit présente les résultats d'une étude empirique comparant les relations sociales parmi les gens âgés demeurant au sein de la communautéà celles qui prévalent dans les foyers pour vieillards, et ce à partir d'un échantillon aléatoire de la population d‘àge avancé du Manitoba pour l'année 1971. Les résultats indiquent que ces vieillards, tout comme les résidents des “ghettos gris,” ont des niveaux d'interaction sociale plus élevés et plus satisfaisants que les vieillards qui demeurent au sein méLme de la communauté. De telles observations nous semblent importantes non seulement du point de vue de notre compréhension des “institutions totales,” mais aussi par rapport aux problèmes plus généraux du vieillissement et du “désengagement.” Le fait que la participation aux événements interactionels soit plus élevée parmi les résidents de ces foyers (et des autres “ghettos gris”) correspond à cette théorie du vieillissement qui voit le “désengagement” chez les vieillards comme une réponse spécifique à la position qu'ils occupent au sein de la structure de stratification d’âges du capitalisme avancé. This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of the relationship between institutionalization and disengagement based on a random stratified sample of the elderly population of Manitoba in 1971. The results indicate that the institutionalized elderly, like other residents of “grey ghettos,” have higher levels of social interaction and derive greater satisfaction from their social relations than do the elderly residing in the larger community. It is suggested that these findings are not only significant for our understanding of the nature of “total institutions” but are also suggestive with respect to the more general issue of disengagement and aging. The fact that involvement in interactional events is greater among the institutionalized elderly (and other residents of “grey ghettos”) is consistent with a theory of aging which views disengagement among the elderly as a response which is historically specific to the position which they occupy within the structure of age stratification characteristic of advanced capitalism.

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The American Retirement Community: Bane or Blessing?

Cited by 52 publications

References 0 publications

Assessing the health impact of age-specific housing

Assessing the health impact of age-specific housing

The Retirement Village as a Residential Environment for the Third Age – The Example of Firhall, Scotland

Institutionalization and disengagement among the elderly*

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