title: Aging in Place of Vulnerable Older Adults: Person-Environment Fit Perspective.
abstract: Based on the premise that the experience of aging in place is different for vulnerable subgroups of older adults compared with less vulnerable subgroups, we focus on low-income older adults as a vulnerable subgroup and senior housing as an alternative to a conventional, private home environment. Using the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Health Retirement Study, regression models determined the impact of person-environment (P-E) fit between poverty status and residence in senior housing on self-rated health. Consistent with the environmental docility hypothesis, findings show that, among low-income individuals, the supportive environment of senior housing plays a pronounced compensating role and may be a key to successful adaptation in aging. As the first research effort to empirically demonstrate the positive health effects of senior housing among socioeconomically vulnerable elders, our findings provide a much-needed theoretical and practical underpinning for policy-making efforts regarding vulnerable elders.
authors.affiliation: 1 Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Sojung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 2 Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yoonsun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: 3 University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA.
authors.forename: BoRin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 4 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Dunkle
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: aging in place; person–environment fit; vulnerable elders