Aging in place challenges for urban low-income older renters

SESSION SUMMARY The theme of this symposium is aging in place (AIP) research and its implications. AIP is commonly defined as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). The concept of AIP has been considered a phenomenon, goal, or process, and accordingly, diverse research inquiries with different research focuses have been developed. Recent efforts in AIP research indicate that the idea of AIP is evolving by allowing diverse interpretations of its value, which is considered desirable (Ahn, 2017). Therefore, sharing diverse perspectives on the AIP concept and discussing its research implications might be timely and meaningful for housing researchers. The purpose of this symposium is to discuss and exchange ideas on current AIP research findings and the interpretations of different study results in the field of housing to determine practical implications with integrated views from diverse research focuses. The symposium is composed of five presentations. The research focus and scope vary from urban older renters to suburban homeowners, from American rural seniors to Korean rural seniors, and from a local sample whose data were collected through face-to-face interviews versus national secondary data. The expectation is that this research discussion will help identify where current AIP housing research is and the implications for appropriate stakeholders. It could also provide potential collaboration opportunities for research and extramural funding for AIP researchers in the field of housing. The first presentation will share the challenges and strategies of urban low-income older renters (62+) in staying in their current homes and communities. Research findings on the AIP challenges encountered by this population (N=25) will be presented based on in-depth interviews and home environmental analyses [1]. The second presentation uses 2009–2013 American Community Survey data to provide an analysis of the demographic, socioeconomic, and housing characteristics of homeowners (65+) who moved to their current house before 1979. This study focuses on the differentiations of these factors among older homeowners living in central cities, mature suburbs, and developing suburbs [2]. The third presentation will discuss community-level strategies to support older residents (65+) in remaining in their neighborhood in a large midwestern city. The collaboration experience with a non-profit organization in collecting data will also be shared [3]. The fourth presentation will highlight the findings on Korean seniors’ perceptions of the eight domains identified by the World Health Organization Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities for urban and rural older residents [4]. The last presentation will discuss the opportunities and challenges involved in creating and sustaining livable rural communities for older residents (65+) with multi-state research collaboration. The following two research questions were developed: (1) How do we maintain, remodel, or design high-quality sustainable housing for AIP in rural communities, and (2) what policies and programs provide the best practices to promote the creation and implementation of a successful AIP design and initiatives? [5].