Abstract
The concept of “ageing in place” has become increasingly significant in the environmental gerontology literature. Despite its predominance, there have been limited efforts to offer a more comprehensive and nuanced conceptualization of this topic. Definitions found in the literature are often too simplistic and only partially capture the various aspects of older adults’ experience while ageing in place. This paper presents a conceptual framework on ageing in place in the context of neighbourhood environment which aims to address this gap by proposing a multi-faceted understanding of ageing in place processes through the lenses of a capability approach, a more comprehensive definition of the concept, and related overarching principles. Building on predominant theories in environmental gerontology, this conceptual framework offers new insights into the interactions between “place” and the “ageing individual”. It is meant to offer opportunities for discussion, to suggest new paths of inquiry, and to explore implications for policy and practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Age-friendly business academy (2014) Age-friendly business. http://agefriendlybusinessacademy.com/. Accessed 12 May 2017
Alexander JM (2016) Capabilities and social justice: The political philosophy of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Routledge, New York
Alkire S, Deneulin S (2009) The human development and capability approach. In: Deneulin S, Shahani L (eds) An introduction to the human development and capability approach: Freedom and agency. Earthscan, London, pp 22–48
Anaby D, Miller WC, Eng JJ et al (2011) Participation and well-being among older adults living with chronic conditions. Soc Indic Res 100:171–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-010-9611-x
Aneshensel CS, Harig F, Wight RG (2016) Aging, neighborhoods, and the built environment. In: George L, Ferraro KF (eds) Handbook of aging and the social sciences, 8th edn. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 315–335
Annear M, Keeling S, Wilkinson T et al (2014) Environmental influences on healthy and active ageing: a systematic review. Ageing Soc 34:590–622. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X1200116X
Aurand A, Miles R, Usher K (2014) Local environment of neighborhood naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) in a mid-sized U.S. City J Hous Elder 28:133–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2014.899282
Bandura A (2006) Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspect Psychol Sci 1:164–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00011.x
Bigonnesse C (2017) The role of the socio-physical environment on aging in place for older adults in cohousing and naturally occurring retirement communities. Dissertation, Simon Fraser University
Bigonnesse C, Beaulieu M, Garon S (2014) Meaning of home in later life as a concept to understand older adults’ housing needs: Results from the 7 Age-Friendly Cities Pilot Project in Québec. J Hous Elder 28:357–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2014.930367
Bigonnesse C, Chaudhury H (2019) The landscape of “aging in place” in gerontology literature: Emergence, theoretical perspectives and influencing factors. J Aging Environ 34:233–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2019.1638875
Blair T, Minkler M (2009) Participatory action research with older adults: key principles in practice. The Gerontologist 49:651–662. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnp049
Brookfield K, Ward Thompson C, Scott I (2017) The uncommon impact of common environmental details on walking in older adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020190
Buffel T, De Donder L, Phillipson C et al (2014) Place attachment among older adults living in four communities in flanders, belgium. Hous Stud 29:800–822. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2014.898741
Burnett P, Lucas S (2010) Talking, walking, riding and driving: The mobilities of older adults. J Transp Geogr 18:596–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.05.006
Burns VF (2016) Oscillating in and out of place: experiences of older adults residing in homeless shelters in Montreal, Quebec. J Aging Stud 39:11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2016.08.001
Burns VF, Lavoie J-P, Rose D (2012) Revisiting the role of neighbourhood change in social exclusion and inclusion of older people. J Aging Res. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/148287
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (2016) Seniors’ housing report: Canada highlights Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Ottawa
Caragata GE (2017) Model development and exploration into the driving decisions of older adults. Dissertation, Simon Fraser University
Carr K, Weir PL, Azar D, Azar NR (2013) Universal design: a step toward successful aging. J Aging Res. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/324624
Cerin E, Nathan A, van Cauwenberg J et al (2017) The neighbourhood physical environment and active travel in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 14:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0471-5
Chaudhury H, Mahmood A, Michael YL et al (2012) The influence of neighborhood residential density, physical and social environments on older adults’ physical activity: an exploratory study in two metropolitan areas. J Aging Stud 26:35–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.07.001
Chaudhury H, Oswald F (2019) Advancing understanding of person-environment interaction in later life: one step further. J Aging Stud 51:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100821
Cresswell T, Merriman P (2011) Introduction: geographies of mobilities - Practices, spaces, subjects. In: Cresswell T, Merriman P (eds) Geographies of mobilities - Practices, spaces, subjects. Ashgate Publishing Company, Burlington, pp 1–17
Cutchin MP (2013) The complex process of becoming at-home in assisted living. In: Rowles GD, Bernard M (eds) Environmental gerontology: making meaningful place in old age. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 105–124
Dang A-T (2014) Amartya Sen’s capability approach: a framework for well-being evaluation and policy analysis? Rev Soc Econ 72:460–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/00346764.2014.958903
Dannefer D, Huang MGS (2017) Precarity, inequality, and the problem of agency in the study of the life course. Innov Aging. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx027
De Donder L, De Witte N, Buffel T et al (2012) Social capital and feelings of unsafety in later life: A study on the influence of social networks, place attachment, and civic participation on perceived safety in Belgium. Res Aging 34:425–448. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027511433879
De Munck J (2008) Qu’est-ce qu’une capacité? In: De Munck J, Zimmermann B (eds) La liberté au prisme des capacité: amartya Sen au-delà du libéralisme. Éditions de l’École d'Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris, pp 21–49
Defourny J, Nyssens M (2010) Social enterprise in Europe: At the crossroads of market, public policies and third sector. Policy Soc 29:231–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polsoc.2010.07.002
Després C, Lord S (2005) Growing older in postwar suburbs: the meaning and experience of home. In: Rowles GD, Chaudhury H (eds) Home and identity in late life - International perspectives. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 317–340
Dupuis-Blanchard S, Neufeld A, Strang VR (2009) The significance of social engagement in relocated older adults. Qual Health Res 19:1186–1195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732309343956
Flamm M, Kaufmann V (2006) Operationalising the concept of motility: a qualitative study. Mobilities 1:167–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450100600726563
Gardner P (2011) Natural neighborhood networks — Important social networks in the lives of older adults aging in place. J Aging Stud 25:263–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.03.007
Gardner P (2014) The role of social engagement and identity in community mobility among older adults aging in place. Disabil Rehabil 36:1249–1257. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2013.837970
Gell NM, Rosenberg DE, Carlson J et al (2015) Built environment attributes related to GPS measured active trips in mid-life and older adults with mobility disabilities. Disabil Health J 8:290–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2014.12.002
Golant SM (2011) The quest for residential normalcy by older adults: Relocation but one pathway. J Aging Stud 25:193–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.03.003
Golant SM (2012) Out of their residential comfort and mastery zones: toward a more relevant environmental gerontology. J Hous Elder 26:26–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2012.655654
Golant SM (2015a) Residential normalcy and the enriched coping repertoires of successfully aging older adults. The Gerontologist 55:70–82. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu036
Golant SM (2015b) Aging in the right place. Health Professions Press Inc, Baltimore, Maryland
Golant SM (2020) The distance to death perceptions of older adults explain why they age in place: a theoretical examination. J Aging Stud 54:100863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100863
Granbom M, Iwarsson S, Kylberg M et al (2016) A public health perspective to environmental barriers and accessibility problems for senior citizens living in ordinary housing. BMC Public Health 16:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3369-2
Greenfield EA (2012) Using ecological frameworks to advance a field of research, practice, and policy on aging-in-place initiatives. The Gerontologist 52:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr108
Greenfield EA (2016) Support from neighbors and aging in place: can NORC programs make a difference? The Gerontologist 56:651–659. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu162
Grove JV (2016) GoGoGrandparent helps seniors without smartphones. San Diego Union-Trib.
Gustafson P (2014) Place attachment in an age of mobility. In: Manzo LC, Devine-Wright P (eds) Place attachment: advances in theory, methods and applications. Routledge, London, pp 37–48
Hanson HM, Ashe MC, McKay HA, Winters M (2012) Intersection between the built and social environments and older adults’ mobility: An evidence review. National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
Hitlin S, Elder GH Jr (2006) Agency: An Empirical Model of an Abstract Concept. Adv Life Course Res 11:33–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-2608(06)11002-3
Hudon T, Milan A (2016) Women in Canada: a gender-based statistical report - Senior women. Statistics Canada, Ottawa
Imrie R (2012) Universalism, universal design and equitable access to the built environment. Disabil Rehabil 34:873–882. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2011.624250
Kaufmann V, Bergman MM, Joye D (2004) Motility: mobility as capital. Int J Urban Reg Res 28:745–756. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0309-1317.2004.00549.x
Knapp MLG (2009) Aging in place in suburbia: a qualitative study of older women. Ph.D.
Lager D, Van Hoven B, Huigen PPP (2015) Understanding older adults’ social capital in place: Obstacles to and opportunities for social contacts in the neighbourhood. Geoforum 59:87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.12.009
Latham A, McCormack D, McNamara K, McNeill D (2009) Key concepts in urban geography. SAGE Publications Inc, Thousand Oaks
Lawton MP, Nahemow L (1973) Ecology and the aging process. In: Eisdorfer C, Lawton MP (eds) The psychology of adult development and aging. American Psychological Association, Washington, pp 619–674
Levasseur M, Cohen AA, Dubois M-F et al (2015) Environmental factors associated with social participation of older adults living in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas: the nuage study. Am J Public Health 105:1718–1725. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302415
Levasseur M, Richard L, Gauvin L, Raymond É (2010) Inventory and analysis of definitions of social participation found in the aging literature: Proposed taxonomy of social activities. Soc Sci Med 71:2141–2149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.09.041
Lewicka M (2011) Place attachment: how far have we come in the last 40 years? J Environ Psychol 31:207–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001
Lewis C, Buffel T (2020) Aging in place and the places of aging: A longitudinal study. J Aging Stud 54:100870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100870
Lien T (2016) Lyft and Uber launch programs to cater to seniors. Los Angel, Times
Löfqvist C, Granbom M, Himmelsbach I et al (2013) Voices on relocation and aging in place in very old age—a complex and ambivalent matter. The Gerontologist 53:919–927. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnt034
Lord S, Després C, Ramadier T (2011) When mobility makes sense: A qualitative and longitudinal study of the daily mobility of the elderly. J Environ Psychol 31:52–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.02.007
Lord S, Luxembourg N (2007) The mobility of elderly residents living in suburban territories: mobility experiences in Canada and France. J Hous Elder 20:103. https://doi.org/10.1300/J081v20n04_07
Marshall VW, Clarke PJ (2010) Agency and social structure in aging and life-course research. In: Dannefer D, Phillipson C (eds) The Sage Handbook on Social Gerontology. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, pp 294–305
Moulaert T, Boudiny K, Paris M (2016) Active and healthy ageing: Blended models and common challenges supporting age-friendly cities and communities. In: Moulaert T, Garon S (eds) Age-friendly cities and communities in international comparison: Political lessons, scientific avenues, and democratic issues. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp 277–304
Nishita C, Liebig P, Pynoos J et al (2007) Promoting basic accessibility in the home: analyzing patterns in the diffusion of visitability legislation. J Disabil Policy Stud 18:2–13
Peace SM (2013) Social inteactions in public spaces and places: A conceptual overview. In: Rowles GD, Bernard M (eds) Environmental gerontology: Making meaningful places in old age. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 25–52
Peace SM, Holland C, Kellaher L (2005) The influence of neighborhood and community on well-being and identity in later life: an english perspective. In: Rowles GD, Chaudhury H (eds) Home and identity in late life - international perspectives. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 297–315
Phillips S, Hebb T (2010) Financing the third sector: introduction. Policy Soc 29:181–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polsoc.2010.07.001
Phillipson C (2007) The ‘elected’ and the ‘excluded’: sociological perspectives on the experience of place and community in old age. Ageing Soc 27:321. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X06005629
Phillipson C (2010) Ageing and urban society: growing old in the “Century of the City.” In: Dannefer D, Phillipson C (eds) The sage handbook of social gerontology. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, pp 597–606
Portegijs E, Rantakokko M, Mikkola TM et al (2014) Association between physical performance and sense of autonomy in outdoor activities and life-space mobility in community-dwelling older people. J Am Geriatr Soc 62:615–621. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12763
Robeyns I (2016) The capability approach. Stanf. Encycl, Philos
Rosso AL, Auchincloss AH, Michael YL (2011) The urban built environment and mobility in older adults: a comprehensive review. J Aging Res. https://doi.org/10.4061/2011/816106
Rosso AL, Tabb LP, Grubesic TH et al (2014) Neighborhood social capital and achieved mobility of older adults. J Aging Health 26:1301–1319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264314523447
Rosso AL, Taylor JA, Tabb LP, Michael YL (2013) Mobility, disability, and social engagement in older adults. J Aging Health 25:617–637. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264313482489
Rowles GD (1978) Prisoners of space?: Exploring the geographical experience of older people. Westview Press, Boulder
Rowles GD (1983) Place and personal identity in old age: observations from Appalachia. J Environ Psychol 3:299–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(83)80033-4
Rowles GD, Bernard M (2013) The meaning and significance of place in old age. In: Rowles GD, Bernard M (eds) Environmental gerontology - Making meaningful places in old age. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 3–24
Rowles GD, Chaudhury H (2005) Home and identity in late life - International perspectives. Springer Publishing Company, New York
Rubinstein RL (1989) The home environments of older people: a description of the psychosocial processes linking person to place. J Gerontol 44:S45–S53. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/44.2.S45
Rubinstein RL, Parmelee PA (1992) Attachment to place and the representation of the life course by the elderly. In: Altman I, Low SM (eds) Place attachment. Plenum Press, New York, pp 139–163
Scannell L, Gifford R (2010) Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. J Environ Psychol 30:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.006
Scharlach AE, Diaz Moore K (2016) Aging in place. In: Bengston VL, Settersten RA (eds) Handbook of theories of aging, 3rd edn. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY, pp 407–425
Schwanen T, Banister D, Bowling A (2012) Independence and mobility in later life. Geoforum 43:1313–1322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.04.001
Sixsmith A, Sixsmith J (2008) Ageing in place in the United Kingdom. Ageing Int 32:219–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-008-9019-y
Smith AE (2009) Ageing in urban neighbourhoods: place attachment and social exclusion. Policy, Bristol
Smith AR, Chen C, Clarke P, Gallagher NA (2016) Trajectories of outdoor mobility in vulnerable community-dwelling elderly: The role of individual and environmental factors. J Aging Health 28:796–811. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315611665
Smith RJ, Lehning AJ, Kim K (2018) Aging in place in gentrifying neighborhoods: implications for physical and mental health. Gerontologist 58:26–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx105
Stephens C, Breheny M, Mansvelt J (2015) Healthy ageing from the perspective of older people: A capability approach to resilience. Psychol Health 30:715–731. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2014.904862
Van Dijk HM, Cramm JM, Van Exel J, Nieboer AP (2015) The ideal neighbourhood for ageing in place as perceived by frail and non-frail community-dwelling older people. Ageing Soc 35:1771–1795. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X14000622
Van Holle V, Van Cauwenberg J, De Bourdeaudhuij I et al (2016) Interactions between neighborhood social environment and walkability to explain belgian older adults’ physical activity and sedentary time. Int J Environ Res Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13060569
Vasara P (2015) Not ageing in place: Negotiating meanings of residency in age-related housing. J Aging Stud 35:55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2015.07.004
Villanueva K, Knuiman M, Nathan A et al (2014) The impact of neighborhood walkability on walking: does it differ across adult life stage and does neighborhood buffer size matter? Health Place 25:43–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.10.005
Vine D, Buys L, Aird R (2012) The use of amenities in high density neighbourhoods by older urban Australian residents. Landsc Urban Plan 107:159–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.05.013
van der Vorst A, Zijlstra GAR, Witte ND et al (2016) Limitations in activities of daily living in community-dwelling people aged 75 and over: a systematic literature review of risk and protective factors. PLoS ONE 11:e0165127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165127
Wahl H-W, Gerstorf D (2018) A conceptual framework for studying Context Dynamics in Aging (CODA). Dev Rev 50:155–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.09.003
Wahl H-W, Iwarsson S, Oswald F (2012) Aging well and the environment: toward an integrative model and research agenda for the future. The Gerontologist 52:306–316. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr154
Wahl H-W, Lang FR (2004) Aging in context across the adult life course: integrating physical and social environmental research perspectives. In: Wahl H-W, Scheidt RJ, Windley PG (eds) Focus on Aging in Context: Socio-Physical Environments. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 1–33
Wahl H-W, Lang FR (2006) Psychological aging: a contextual view. In: Conn PM (ed) Handbook of models for human aging. Academic Press, Burlington, pp 881–895
Wahl H-W, Oswald F (2016) Theories of environmental gerontology: Old and new avenues for person-environmental views of aging. In: Bengston VL, Settersten RA (eds) Handbook of theories of aging, 3rd edn. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY, pp 621–641
Wahl H-W, Oswald F (2010) Environmental perspectives on ageing. In: Dannefer D, Philipson CR (eds) The sage handbook of social gerontology. Sage Publications Ltd, London, pp 111–124
Wiles JL, Leibing A, Guberman N et al (2012) The meaning of “Aging in Place” to older people. The Gerontologist 52:357–366. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr098
World Health Organization (2007) Global age-friendly cities: a guide. WHO Press, Geneva
World Health Organization (2015) World report on ageing and health. World Health Organization, Geneva
Wrzus C, Hänel M, Wagner J, Neyer FJ (2013) Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 139:53–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028601
Yen IH, Fandel Flood J, Thompson H et al (2014) How design of places promotes or inhibits mobility of older adults: realist synthesis of 20 years of research. J Aging Health 26:1340–1372. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264314527610
Yen IH, Michael YL, Perdue L (2009) Neighborhood environment in studies of health of older adults: A systematic review. Am J Prev Med 37:455–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.06.022
Yen IH, Shim JK, Martinez AD, Barker JC (2012) Older people and social connectedness: how place and activities keep people engaged. J Aging Res 2012:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/139523
Ziegler F (2012) “You have to engage with life, or life will go away”: An intersectional life course analysis of older women’s social participation in a disadvantaged urban area. Geoforum 43:1296–1305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.03.013
Funding
This research was supported in part by the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Ref: 767–2012-1672).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to report.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Responsible Editor: Marja J. Aartsen
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bigonnesse, C., Chaudhury, H. Ageing in place processes in the neighbourhood environment: a proposed conceptual framework from a capability approach. Eur J Ageing 19, 63–74 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-020-00599-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-020-00599-y