Perceived Housing and Life Transitions: Good Ageing-in Place

Housing has gained increased relevance as a central factor for health and well-being in ageing policies in Europe. Many countries have implemented ageing in place policies, which provide services focused on improving the physical environment or delivering care, but these policies tend to neglect the dynamic nature and heterogeneity of the ageing process. Housing needs change as people grow older, and experience different transitions across their life courses. Studies have demonstrated relationships between housing and health and wellbeing in later life on the one hand and life transitions and health and wellbeing in later life on the other hand. However, research on life transitions in combination with perceived housing in relation to indicators of good ageing is virtually non-existent.

Purpose: develop an understanding of the dynamic relationship between perceived housing and life transitions and how this relationship impacts health, well-being, functioning, and social/neighbourhood participation along the process of ageing.

This mixed-methods project consists of three studies. The longitudinal Quantitative Study uses data from the Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care: Skåne. We will link data across 12 years to examine the relationship between perceived housing and life events and how they predict indicators of good ageing. The Qualitative Study will validate these findings in focus groups in Sweden and Germany and identify other important aspects of perceived housing and life transitions. The Integration Study will synthesize results to build a deeper understanding of the phenomena identified and develop a theoretical model depicting the relationships between life transitions, perceived housing and indicators of good ageing along the process of ageing.