Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T19:20:50.659Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Housing and care for older people: life in an English purpose-built retirement village

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2007

MIRIAM BERNARD ,
BERNADETTE BARTLAM ,
JULIUS SIM  and
SIMON BIGGS
MIRIAM BERNARD*
Affiliation:
Centre for Social Gerontology and Research Institute for Life Course Studies, Keele University, UK.
BERNADETTE BARTLAM
Affiliation:
Centre for Social Gerontology and Research Institute for Life Course Studies, Keele University, UK.
JULIUS SIM
Affiliation:
Centre for Social Gerontology and Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, Keele University, UK.
SIMON BIGGS
Affiliation:
Institute of Gerontology, King's College, London, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Miriam Bernard, Research Institute for Life Course Studies, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom. Email: m.bernard@appsoc.keele.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Retirement communities are a relatively new long-term accommodation and care option in the United Kingdom. Policy makers and providers endorse the proposition that they are suited for the accommodation of both ‘fit’ and ‘frail’ older people, although comparatively little is known about what it is actually like to live in such communities, about whether they cater adequately for older people with a wide spectrum of needs and abilities, or if they provide acceptable solutions to older people's housing or care needs. This paper addresses these questions by reporting the findings of an independently funded three-year study of a new retirement village, Berryhill, in the north Midlands of England. The paper examines the background to this and similar developments, details how the study was carried out, and then examines what it was like to live at Berryhill. It focuses on the housing and care aspects, and explores the residents' motivations for moving to the village; their views about the accommodation; and their use of and satisfaction with the social and leisure amenities. The health and care needs of residents and the formal and informal supports are also featured. The conclusion discusses whether the village can truly be a ‘home for life’ in the face of increasing frailty, and whether or not these new models of accommodation and care can indeed cater for both ‘fit’ and ‘frail’ older people.

Keywords

retirement communityfitfrailaccommodationcare
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , July 2007 , pp. 555 - 578
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Appleton, N. and Shreeve, M. 2003. Now For Something Completely Different: The ExtraCare Charitable Trust's Approach to Retirement Living. ExtraCare Charitable Trust and Chapel Publishing, Coventry, Warwickshire.Google Scholar
Baker, T. 2002. An Evaluation of an Extra-care Scheme: Runnymede Court, Estover, Plymouth. Hanover Housing Association, Staines, Middlesex.Google Scholar
Bayley, R. 1996. Retiring Gracefully. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York.Google Scholar
Bernard, M., Bartlam, B., Biggs, S. and Sim, J. 2004. New Lifestyles in Old Age: Health, Identity and Well-being in Berryhill Retirement Village. Policy, Bristol, Avon.Google Scholar
Biggs, S. 1997. Choosing not to be old? Masks, bodies and identity management in later life. Ageing & Society, 17, 5, 1997, 553–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, S., Bernard, M., Kingston, P. and Nettleton, H. 1999. Assessing the Health Impact of Age-specific Housing. Final report to the NHS Management Executive, Birmingham, West Midlands.Google Scholar
Biggs, S., Bernard, M., Kingston, P. and Nettleton, H. 2000. Lifestyles of belief: narrative and culture in a retirement community. Ageing & Society, 20, 6, 649–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, S., Bernard, M., Bartlam, B. and Sim, J. 2002. Age, Identity and Anxiety Within a Retirement Community: A New Measure. Centre for Social Gerontology, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire.Google Scholar
Boaz, A., Hayden, C. and Bernard, M. 1999. Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People: A Review of the Literature. DSS Research Report 101, Department of Health and Social Services, London.Google Scholar
Brenton, M. 1998. We're In Charge: Co-housing Communities of Older People in The Netherlands: Lessons for Britain? Policy, Bristol, Avon.Google Scholar
Croucher, K. 2006. Making the Case for Retirement Villages: A Review of the Evidence on the Impact of Retirement Villages. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York. Available online at http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/9781859354650.pdf [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Croucher, K., Hicks, L. and Jackson, K. 2005. Housing with Care for Later Life: A Review of the Literature. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York. Available online at http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialcare/0076.asp [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Croucher, K., Pleace, N. and Bevan, M. 2003. Living at Hartrigg Oaks: Residents' Views of the UK's First Continuing Care Retirement Community. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York. Available online at http://www.jrf.org.uk/KNOWLEDGE/findings/socialcare/pdf/913.pdf [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Department of Health 2001. National Service Framework for Older People. Department of Health, London.Google Scholar
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larson, R. J. and Griffin, S. 1985. The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 1, 71–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fisk, M. 1999. Our Future Home: Housing and the Inclusion of Older People in 2025. Help the Aged, London.Google Scholar
Folts, W. E. and Muir, K. B. 2002. Housing for older adults: new lessons from the past. Research on Aging, 24, 1, 10–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrest, R., Leather, P. and Pantazis, C. 2000. Home Ownership in Old Age: The Future of Home Ownership in an Ageing Society. Anchor Research, London. Available online at http://www.anchor.org.uk/publications_pdfs/home-ownership.pdf [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Hochschild, H. R. 1973. The Unexpected Community: Portrait of an Old Age Subculture. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.Google Scholar
Hyde, M., Wiggins, R. D., Higgs, P. and Blane, D. B. 2003. A measure of quality of life in early old age: the theory, development and properties of a needs satisfaction model (CASP-19). Aging and Mental Health, 7, 3, 186–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jordan, K., Ong, B. and Croft, P. 2000. Researching limiting long-term illness. Social Science and Medicine, 50, 3, 397–405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kastenbaum, R. 1993. Encrusted elders: Arizona and the political spirit of postmodern aging. In Cole, T. R., Achenbaum, W. A., Jakobi, P. L. and Kastenbaum, R. (eds) Voices and Visions of Aging: Toward a Critical Gerontology. Springer Publishing Company, New York, 160–83.Google Scholar
King, N. 2004. Models of Extra Care and Retirement Communities. Fact Sheet 4, Housing Learning and Improvement Network, London.Google Scholar
Krout, J. A. and Wethington, E. (eds)2003. Residential Choices and Experiences of Older Adults: Pathways to Life Quality. Springer Publishing Company, New York.Google Scholar
Kuhn, M. 1977. Maggie Kuhn on Aging. Westminster, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Google Scholar
Kupke, V. 2000. Relocating for retirement or what makes for a happy retirement? Paper presented to the 6th Pacific-Rim Real Estate Society Conference, Sydney, Australia, January 2000.Google Scholar
Laws, G. 1995. Embodiment and emplacement. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 40, 4, 253–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Longino, C. F., Perzynski, A. T. and Stoller, E. P. 2002. Pandora's briefcase: unpacking the retirement migration decision. Research on Aging, 24, 1, 29–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucksinger, M. 1994. Community and the elderly. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 11, 1, 11–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Madigan, M. J., Mise, D. H. and Maynard, M. 1996. Life satisfaction and level of activity of male elderly in institutional and community settings. Activities, Adaptation and Aging, 21, 2, 21–36.Google Scholar
Minkler, M. and Fadem, P. 2002. ‘Successful aging’: a disability perspective. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 12, 4, 229–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öberg, P. and Tornstam, L. 1999. Body images among men and women of different ages. Ageing & Society, 19, 5, 629–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öberg, P. and Tornstam, L. 2001. Youthfulness and fitness: identity ideals for all ages? Journal of Aging and Identity, 6, 1, 15–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office for National Statistics 2001. Census 2001. Office for National Statistics, London. Available online at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/census2001.asp [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Office of the Deputy Prime Minster (ODPM) 2003. Supporting People. ODPM, London.Google Scholar
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2004. The English Indices of Deprivation (revised). ODPM, London. Available online at http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/446/Indicesofdeprivation2004revisedPDF2198Kb_id1128446.pdf [Accessed December 2006].Google Scholar
Oldman, C. 2000. Blurring the Boundaries: A Fresh Look at Housing and Care Provision for Older People. Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Pavilion, York.Google Scholar
Osgood, N. J. 1982. Senior Settlers: Social Integration in Retirement Communities. Praeger, New York.Google Scholar
Peace, S. M. and Holland, C. (eds)2001. Inclusive Housing in an Ageing Society: Innovative Approaches. Policy, Bristol, Avon.Google Scholar
Peace, S., Holland, C. and Kellaher, L. 2006. Environment and Identity in Later Life. Open University Press, Maidenhead, Berkshire.Google Scholar
Phillips, J., Bernard, M., Biggs, S. and Kingston, P. 2001. Retirement communities in Britain: a ‘third way’ for the third age? In Peace, S. M. and Holland, C. (eds) Inclusive Housing in an Ageing Society: Innovative Approaches. Policy, Bristol, Avon, 185–204.Google Scholar
Phillips, M. and Williams, C. 2001. Adding Life to Years: The Quality of Later Life in Very Sheltered Housing – The Voices of Older People. Housing 21, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.Google Scholar
Resnick, B. 2001. A prediction model of aerobic exercise in older adults living in a continuing-care retirement community. Journal of Aging and Health, 13, 2, 287–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riseborough, M. and Fletcher, P. 2003. Extra Care Housing: What is It? Fact Sheet 1, Housing Learning and Improvement Network, London.Google Scholar
Riseborough, M., Fletcher, P. and Mullins, D. 1999. The Case for a Common Currency: Clearer Definitions and Descriptions for Sheltered and Supported Housing. Discussion Paper for the Housing Corporation, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, Birmingham University and the Housing Corporation, Birmingham, West Midlands.Google Scholar
Rodabough, K. 1994. Bofellesskab: the Danish import. In Folts, W. E. and Yeatts, D. (eds), Housing and the Aging Population: Options for the New Century. Garland, New York, 339–51.Google Scholar
Sherwood, S., Ruchlin, H. S., Sherwood, C. C. and Morris, S. A. 1997. Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.Google Scholar
Siegenthaler, K. L. and Vaughan, J. 1998. Older women in retirement communities: perceptions of recreation and leisure. Leisure Sciences, 20, 1, 53–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Streib, G. F. 2002. An introduction to retirement communities. Research on Aging, 24, 1, 3–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sumner, K. (ed.)2002. Our Homes, Our Lives: Choice in Later Life Living Arrangements. Centre for Policy on Ageing, London.Google Scholar
Tinker, A., Wright, F. and Zeilig, H. 1995. Difficult to Let Sheltered Housing. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Tinker, A., Wright, F., McCreadie, C., Askham, J., Hancock, R. and Holmans, A. 1999. With Respect to Old Age: Long Term Care – Rights and Responsibilities. Alternative Models of Care for Older People. Research Volume 2, Report by the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care, Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Ware, J. E., Kosinski, M. and Keller, S. D. 1996. A 12-item short-form health survey: construction of scales and preliminary tests of reliability and validity. Medical Care, 34, 3, 220–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed