M. Silverstein et Dl. Zablotsky, HEALTH AND SOCIAL PRECURSORS OF LATER LIFE RETIREMENT-COMMUNITY MIGRATION, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 51(3), 1996, pp. 150-156
This study uses the developmental migration paradigm developed by Litw
ak and Longino (1987) as a framework to investigate the health and soc
ial determinants of late-life elderly mobility to retirement communiti
es. Data from four waves of the Longitudinal Study of Aging are used t
o predict the likelihood of moving from the general community to two t
ypes of retirement communities-those with group meals and those withou
t group meals. Multinomial logistic regression reveals that the likeli
hood of migrating to both types of retirement communities increases as
disability advances to moderate levels, but declines as disability be
comes severe. Migration to retirement communities is also more likely
among elderly persons who live alone and among those whose children do
not live nearby. The results suggest that retirement community migrat
ion in middle and late old age is motivated not only by social and ame
nity considerations, but also by the need for assisted living arising
from physical frailty. Implications for developmental migration theory
and long-term care policy are discussed.