Title: The experience of 'ageing in place' over time: a longitudinal perspective
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: By 2030, two thirds of the world's population will be living in cities, with the major urban areas in the developed world likely to have 25% or more of their population aged 60 and over. Yet, the evidence suggests that older people remain among the most excluded groups living in urban communities (UN-Habitat, 2010). 'Ageing in place' policies have been widely adopted to reduce the pressures of ageing populations on health and social care services in cities. This approach is aimed at enabling older people to maintain independence whilst receiving support from the community in which they may have lived for a substantial part of their life (Smetcoren, 2015). To date, however, there is only limited knowledge about the range of benefits and limitations associated with ageing in place, with few studies exploring what 'ageing in place' means to older people themselves (Wiles, 2011). To advance our understanding of this issue, this study will use qualitative longitudinal data to explore older people's experiences of ageing in place. Four research questions will be addressed: 1. What are the origins, objectives, and characteristics of 'ageing in place' policies? 2. What do biographical accounts and longitudinal qualitative data tell us about the ways that older people age in place over time? 3. How does the experience of 'ageing in place over time' differ across contrasting urban neighbourhoods? 4. How can evidence from research support the implementation of policies and practices relating to ageing in place? The research is divided into three strands. Strand A assesses evidence for the characteristics of 'ageing in place' policies through, first, a systematic literature review; second, a documentary analysis of Greater Manchester's devolution agenda on health and social care; and, third, the development of a conceptual model drawing together disparate bodies of knowledge. Strand B explores the theme of time. Data for this strand come from the Step-Change project which is archived with Timescapes. It focuses on history interviews with 70 people aged 50 and over, living in four different locations in Greater Manchester. Also, longitudinal data, which include follow up interviews (40 participants in Wave 2 and 32, in Wave 3), completed over a four-year period. The analysis will be conducted at two levels. Firstly, cross-sectional analysis will reveal contrasting experiences of ageing in place at a particular moment in time for the sample as a whole. Secondly, the longitudinal analysis will allow for an understanding of how particular narratives develop over time in the context of neighbourhood change versus stability. Whilst the focus of strand B is on the temporal aspects of ageing in place, Strand C explores place dimension, i.e. the contextual influences (community change, migration, neighbourhood characteristics) on the experience of ageing in place over time. This strand will reveal whether and how this experience varies between different urban neighbourhoods, exploring the interplay between individual change and community change in four contrasting locations in Greater Manchester: Crumpsall and Ancoats (characterised by high levels of deprivation and rapid population change) and Hale and Chorlton (affluent neighbourhoods with relatively stable populations). Two contextual influences on the experience of ageing in place over time will be explored in-depth: the neighourhood's socio-economic status and population turnover, identified as crucial for understanding older people's experiences of ageing in place (Buffel et al., 2014). In exploring the issue of ageing in place through qualitative longitudinal research, the research will break new ground, both in the development of a conceptual framework for understanding ageing in place over time in urban settings, and in providing the knowledge necessary for addressing a priority area in social policy relating to neighbourhood-based support for older people.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE