The move into senior housing - reasons and expectations. Results from interviews with inmovers to a new senior housing complex

• A growing interest in senior housing has been seen in Sweden in the last decade. This type of housing in between ageing in place and nursing homes has gained a vivid political interest, evident in the Swedish Government Official Report from December 2007 on housing for seniors. The number of this type of dwellings is increasing as is the demand. In this study the aim was to study the qualities of this housing type making it an attractive housing alternative to seniors. Inmovers to a senior housing complex in municipal housing were interviewed before the move about their reasons for choosing senior housing and their expectations as regard the move. The building has 13 floors, has been completely refurbished and is located near the city centre. The interviews were semi-structured using an inteview guide listing subjects to be covered in an open discussion. Each interview lasted one hour. The interviewees come from a mix of tenures, owner occupation, tenant cooperatives and rental housing. A majority of the inmovers became aware of the housing alternative as they saw the advertisment in the newspaper and had not thought about this type of housing before. Preliminary results show that the fact that the housing complex is specifically aimed at seniors is important as are feelings of security, stability and access to common areas. Accessibility and low levels of maintenance are other factors of importance. The fact that the building has gone through a complete renovation is important to many households and decisive to some. To take part in the construction process, interior design and planning of common areas has been appreciated by many. Most look forward to common activities, to know their neighbours, but privacy is important. In conclusion the importance of the house being available to seniors only has to be stressed.

Keyword

Senior housing

Expectations

Sweden

Interviews

SOCIAL SCIENCES

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)