This document presents an overview of research in retirement housing which focuses on studying individuals' adaptation to retirement housing, consulting on the design of retirement housing, and conducting community surveys to assess the interest in living options for older persons. The terms congregate housing, continuing care retirement centers,…

Survey data based on a random sample of retirement villages' residents in Florida (N=519) considered retirement plans. Individuals were more likely to have made detailed plans for: Health Insurance (85 percent); Income (71 percent); Will (70 percent); Housing (67 percent); Health Care (55 percent); Leisure Pursuits (39 percent). A retirement…

The housing industry for the elderly has changed from being primarily the effort of charitable organizations to include a large number of for-profit businesses. Psychologists interested in dealing with this industry will have to be aggressive. Important considerations include the following: (1) managers make decisions about finances, products, and…

Full-timing, living year-round in a recreational vehicle, may be a viable housing alternative for older people. Full-timers can enjoy life in recreational vehicles that are modern, convenient, and well-built. Full-timing can be as expensive or as economical as the individual circumstances are. The economic benefits of full-timing increase when the…

The Protestant ministers' occupational characteristics affect their retirement experience. Unlike most retirees, Protestant ministers tend to experience residential and church moves. A national study was conducted to examine the effects of retirement experienced by retired ministers and anticipated by active ministers of the Presbyterian Church in…

Current social policies for the elderly are intended to assure a better standard of living, promote adequate medical treatment, and assure safe and clean housing, but they have unintended consequences. It is argued that these social policies serve to keep older people in a state of dependency, poverty, and segregation. Some social policies may be…

This issue of the official magazine of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is written to stimulate nationwide interest in solving housing and urban problems by dealing with housing alternatives available to the elderly, e.g., shared housing and small group homes. HUD policies which help the elderly to maintain or upgrade…

This document contains eight papers presented at the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. Each paper begins with a statement of a Congressional finding relevant to the topic under consideration, followed by a presentation and discussion of important issues related to each topic. The first paper, "Research on the Aging Process," explores…

The hypothesis of this 1982 study of retirees in the city of Windsor (Canada) is that retired persons with the fewest housing constraints should exhibit a more active leisure behavior pattern and a higher expression of life satisfaction. To obtain the retirees' socioeconomic and demographic profile data, life histories, freetime activity patterns…

This Technical Committee Report provides an overview and historical sketch of research in aging and proposes a need for new knowledge. An examination of key issues notes the difficulty in assigning priority to research topics, and identifies emerging issues of public concern including: (1) physical health (alcohol and drugs, falls and accidents,…

Because of increased life spans and lower fertility rates, adults over 65 will continue to comprise a larger proportion of the population. The traditional emphasis on individual and family care of older Americans has been replaced by an emphasis on the obligation of society. Currently, poor health is the most prevalent problem reported among older…

The Foundation to Assist California Teachers (FACT) is a non-profit organization which owns and operates retirement housing for teachers. To identify the demand for additional retirement housing facilities and explore "shared housing" alternatives, retired women teachers (N=2,740) in California completed a mail questionnaire which assessed: (1)…

Forty trainees, consultants, and resource persons attended the 3-day Institute held in Topeka, Kansas. Among the Institute's objectives were to: provide a basic orientation to the roles and functions of the aging services, programs, and the field of gerontology; examine aging services and benefits, both legislative and programmatic relating to…