Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Data from a longitudinal study of older adults in an upstate New York county (N = 333) show that poor housing “fit” increases the likelihood that older adults are currently considering a move, as does lower residential satisfaction. Those adults who said only that they “might consider moving” focused on health transitions that might signal a need for a new housing situation. Residential satisfaction predicts actual moves even when controlling for moving plans. Older adults may be “pushed” to make a move by a crisis, but those older adults planning moves tend to be “pulled” into housing arrangements with desirable features. doi:10.1300/J081v20n03_02 [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] Mary Ann Erickson, PhD, and John Krout, PhD, are affiliated with Ithaca College Gerontology Institute. Heidi Ewen, MA, is affiliated with University of Kentucky. Julie Robison, PhD, is affiliated with University of Connecticut Health Sciences. Address correspondence to: Mary Ann Erickson, PhD, Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, 421 Center for Health Sciences, Ithaca NY 14850 (E-mail: merickson@ ithaca.edu). The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Elyse Kantrowitz and Phyllis Moen to previous versions of this paper. This paper is part of the Pathways to Life Quality Study, a collaborative research project conducted by the Gerontology Institute at Ithaca College and the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center at Cornell University, John Krout, and Elaine Wethington, Co-Principal Investigators. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, Vol. 20(3) 2006 Available online at http://jhe.haworthpress.com © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1300/J081v20n03_02 5 D ow nl oa de d by [ U ni ve rs ite L av al ] at 2 0: 35 1 5 O ct ob er 2 01 4