The aim of this thesis is to further explore and analyse the housing situation ofthe elderly in terms of supply, demand and well-being. The thesis contributesto existing knowledge in the field of housing for the elderly. This includes adiscussion of the dominant idea that the individual should age in place, i.e. inan existing home. The chosen context is Sweden. The doctoral thesis consistsof four articles, of which three are published and one is under scientific review.

One of the contributions that this thesis makes is that the elderly are not ahomogeneous group, but rather consist of younger elderly who are still active,and older elderly, who may need more help with daily life. This is of course alsorelated to physical health factors, but these are not studied in more detail inthe thesis, which has a focus on the perceived well-being of the elderly.Previous research has overestimated the willingness of the elderly to remain intheir existing home, and thereby underestimated their willingness to move toother housing.

In addition to the elderly's own preferences, they are also affected byopportunities and flexibility in the housing market. The number of homes onthe market is adjusted primarily through a price mechanism and onlysecondarily by building or demolishing homes, so the adjustment is slow.People who need to live in a retirement home also need a certificate from asocial welfare officer, which is becoming increasingly difficult as the number ofelderly people increases over time. It is also the municipality that decideswhether and when a new retirement home is to be built. Previous research onretirement homes is limited, as they are not subject to market pricing and opendemand. The thesis thus also makes a contribution in one respect as it alsoaddresses the effect of the Ädelreformen from 1992. The purpose of this was tostreamline the allocation of housing for the elderly and at the same timeprovide fewer institutions, but the results of the thesis question whether thewell-being of the age group has really been improved by the idea of aging inplace.

All municipalities are responsible for ensuring that all people in themunicipality have somewhere to live, but where and how people live can vary.Some municipalities also rely on being able to rent from other municipalitiesthat currently have vacancies. The distribution of retirement homes across thecountry varies geographically and is influenced by factors such as urbanization,as well as the size of the municipality and the tax revenues for the municipality.This thesis addresses several different markets – both free pricing and theutility value system in the rental market and retirement homes – and differentmunicipalities can choose different ways to solve their residents' housing needsbased on local demand. Just as there is a population pyramid at the bottom forSweden and the EU, it can be imagined that each municipality has its ownpopulation pyramid to base itself on when solving housing problems withregard to both housing for the elderly and overcrowding. The thesiscontributes to increased knowledge about the elderly's options in the housingmarket, their own preferences and well-being, and suggests measures that canfacilitate increased flexibility and adaptation to perceived needs.

Syftet med denna avhandling är att vidare utforska och analysera äldresbostadssituation i termer av utbud, efterfrågan och välbefinnande.Avhandlingen bidrar till befintlig kunskap inom området bostäder för äldre.Detta inkluderar en diskussion om den dominerande idén om att individen skaåldras på plats, dvs i redan befintlig bostad. Den valda kontexten är Sverige.Doktorsavhandlingen består av fyra artiklar, varav tre är publicerade och en ärunder vetenskaplig granskning.

Ett av bidragen som denna avhandling ger är att de äldre inte är en homogengrupp, utan snarare består av yngre äldre som fortfarande är aktiva, och äldreäldre, som kan behöva mera hjälp med dagliga livet. Detta är givetvis ocksårelaterat till fysiska hälsofaktorer, men dessa studeras inte närmare iavhandlingen som har ett fokus på äldres upplevda välbefinnande. Tidigareforskning har övervärderat de äldres vilja att bo kvar i sin befintliga bostad,och därmed undervärderat deras vilja att flytta till annat boende.

Förutom de äldres egna preferenser påverkas de också av möjligheter ochflexibilitet på bostadsmarknaden. Antal bostäder på marknaden anpassas iförsta hand via en prismekanism och först i andra hand med att man byggereller river bostäder, så anpassningen går långsamt. De personer som behöverbo på ett äldreboende behöver dessutom ett intyg från en biståndshandläggare,vilket blir allt svårare i och med att de äldre ökar i antal över tid. Det är ocksåkommunen som bestämmer om och när ett nytt äldreboende ska byggas.Tidigare forskning om äldreboenden är begränsad, eftersom de inte omfattasav marknadsprissättning och en öppen efterfrågan. Avhandlingen gör därmedäven ett bidrag i ett avseende då också effekten av Ädelreformen från 1992 tasupp. Meningen med denna var att effektivisera allokering av bostäder för äldreoch samtidigt ge färre institutioner, men avhandlingens resultat ifrågasätterom åldersgruppens välbefinnande verkligen förbättrats av idén om att åldraspå plats.

Alla kommuner har ansvar för att alla personer i kommunen har någonstansatt bo, men var och hur man bor kan variera. Vissa kommuner förlitar sig ävenpå att de kan hyra in sig hos andra kommuner som för närvarande harvakanser. Spridningen på äldreboenden över landet varierar geografiskt ochbland annat urbanisering påverkar här, liksom kommunens storlek ochskatteintäkterna för kommunen. Denna avhandling tar upp flera olikamarknader – såväl fri prissättning som bruksvärdessystemet påhyresmarknaden och äldreboenden – och olika kommuner kan välja olika sättatt lösa sina invånares boenden utefter lokal efterfrågan. Precis som det liggeren befolkningspyramid i botten för Sverige och EU så kan man tänka sig attvarje kommun har sin befolkningspyramid att utgå ifrån när man löserbostadsproblem vad gäller såväl äldres boende som trångboddhet.Avhandlingen bidrar till ökad kunskap om de äldres alternativ påbostadsmarknaden, egna preferenser och välbefinnande samt föreslår åtgärdersom kan underlätta en ökande flexibilitet och anpassning till upplevda behov.

Purpose

Problems associated with ageing populations are common in most countries worldwide. Also, the dominant idea of ageing-in-place contributes to stagnant mobility between different housing sizes, thereby possibly affecting the efficiency of housing allocation. The purpose of the study is to critically explore the idea of ageing-in-place from the perspective of the residents, and it explores factors affecting the active moving intention of older adults, defined as 65 and older, as well as the preferred features of a new home among those with a present intention to move. This study also investigates factors that could affect moving intention among older adults without a present intention to move.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey conducted among 1,002 Swedish older adults (65+) in multifamily rental housing, a binary logistic regression separates individuals who express an active intention to move, as measured by an index of indicators, from those with no present intention to move.

Findings

Not surprisingly the lack of an elevator is found to be the strongest predictor of intention to move among older adults. Also, respondents who perceive themselves as less wealthy are more inclined to want to move, which could be expected as a way to reduce costs. This study also shows that those less educated, older and less satisfied with life have no active intention to move. For this group, the possibility of moving assistance and cleaning out was perceived important for possibly rethinking this. The interpretation is that moving is demanding task later in life and that the dominant idea of ageing-in-place might have been misguided by factors affecting the perceived ability to move among older adults.

Originality/value

The results contribute to a better understanding on the moving intentions of older adults and their own perceptions on factors affecting housing decisions. This paper questions the idea of ageing-in-place and discusses its effects for a well-functioning housing market and make suggestions for policymakers.