Vulnerability and the person- environment fit of older adults Frans Thissen Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies.

Vulnerability and the person- environment fit of older adults Frans Thissen Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies

Outline Part 1 Introduction Concepts Results: the cumulative character of vulnerability (a demanding environment) Possibilities of (in)formal care (a supportive environment) Conclusions Part 2 Questions The conceptualisation and measurement of person- environment fit Research project in Eastern Gelderland villages Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 2

3 Introduction WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR When I get older losing my hair, Many years from now Will you still be sending me the Valentine, Birthday greetings, bottle of wine Paul McCartney (1967) THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING OLD (Young) Adults have not been there. Being old creates the potential of empathy, recognition, sharing and understanding. Chris Pilo (2003), however about the study of youth. GROWING OLD: LOSS Loss of health (biological) Loss of social roles (social-cultural) Loss of social capital (functional social resources) Theo van Tilburg (2005)

UvA research about older people Older people in villages Zeeland, Drenthe, Gelderland (1995 & 2009), Noord-Holland Old People in Europes Rural Areas (OPERA) Clare Wenger: types of social support networks European study of Adult Well-being (ESAW) Clare Wenger, Thomas Scharf, Vanessa Burholt PhD Marieke van der Meer Multiple disadvantage of older immigrants and non-migrants in deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam PhD Sabine van der Greft Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 4

Concepts Vulnerability Environment / Neighbourhood (demanding / supporting) Environmental stress Environmental docility hypothesis Person-environment fit Literature: Meer, M. van der, J. Droogleever Fortuijn & F. Thissen (2008), Vulnerability and environmental stress of older adults in deprived neighbourhoods in The Netherlands. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Vol 99, 1, p. 53-64. Droogleever Fortuijn, J.C., M.J. van der Meer & F. Thissen (2006). Kwetsbare ouderen en de kwaliteit van de buurt. Rooilijn, 39 (5): 245-250. Meer, M. Van der (2006), Older adults and their socio-spatial integration in the Netherlands, Netherlands Geographical Studies 345, KNAG / UvA, Utrecht / Amsterdam, Chapter 6 Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 5

Vulnerability (1) Definition: aggregate of all factors that negatively affect independent functioning in daily life Multidimensional concept with cumulative effects Balance between burden vs. bearing capacity (Deeg) Views on vulnerability / frailty (SCP) Result of irreversible developments (health, social networks) Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 6

Vulnerability (2) Dimensions: Individual: personal functional dependency Personal health status Behavioural consequences (Instrumental) activities of daily living: (I)ADL, measures of independent functioning Household: resources Presence of other people Adequacy of household income Environmental context Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 7

Environment / Neighbourhood Work of environmental psychology (Lawton) and environmental gerontology (Phillipson, Scharf) Environment: Demanding vs. supportive character of the environment Changing character of the (local) community (Phillipson) Elected and Excluded Person-environment fit (Keaton) Older people as active agents Temporal dimension: place connectivity (Burholt) Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 8

Neighbourhood deprivation Neighbourhood deprivation: multidimensional concept (Musterd) 1. Low income 2. Non-participation and non-integration (social security payments) Relevant characteristics for social mobility of (young) adults Neighbourhood deprivation dimensions for older people Housing and care: quality dwellings, public domain and access to services Self reliance Wellbeing (social climate) Belonging and identity Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 9

Environmental stress Definition: process in which people experience emotional distress in relationship to environmental exposures (Baum et al 1982; Dupr & Perkins 2007) Being out of place (Rowles & Walkins, 2007) Measuring environmental stress 1. Dissatisfaction with the neighbourhood 2. Feelings of safety Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 10

Environmental docility hypothesis (Lawton 1982) the less competent the individual, the greater is the impact of environmental factors on that individual Older adults without functional limitations and with adequate household resources are able to live satisfying lives in a variety of not only favourable, but also unfavourable environments. Frail older adults with few resources are hypothesised to experience high levels of environmental stress in terms of neighbourhood dissatisfaction and feelings of unsafety in deprived neighbourhoods, while feeling satisfied and safe in non-deprived neighbourhoods. Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 11

Data and methods ESAW NL Dutch ESAW dataset 2002-2003, structured face-to-face interview with 1939 older people (50-90 years, non- institutional) Stratified random sample (12 geographical strata) Three regions: central, peri-urban, peripheral Urban / rural Deprived / non-deprived Sample proportionate to national distribution of eight age / gender groups Response rate 43 percent Descriptive analyses and logistic regression analyses Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 12

Older adults in The Netherlands Deprived neighbourhood 36 % functional dependent 45 % low income 28 % lives alone 30 % Lives whole life in current settlement Access to dwelling by stairs: 14 % Non-deprived neighbourhood 25 % functional dependent 22 % low income 24 % lives alone 18 % lives whole life in current settlement Access to dwelling by stairs 9 % Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 13 Source: Esaw-NL 2002-2003

Cumulative character of vulnerability (1) 14Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults Source: Esaw-NL 2002-2003

15Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults Cumulative character of vulnerability (2) Source: Esaw-NL 2002-2003

Possibilities of (in)formal care (a supportive environment) Dependent older people in deprived neighbourhoods receiving informal care experience less environmental stress than older people receiving formal care Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 16

Conclusions Most older people: self reliant, feel at home, active agents Vulnerable people are more likely to experience negative effects from environmental deprivation Risks of socialisation of care Accumulation of personal, household and environmental vulnerability results in environmental stress (cumulative character of vulnerability) The importance of the quality of the neighbourhood Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 17

Questions: the conceptualization and measurement of person-environment fit of older adults Make a list or scheme of concepts that represents the concept of person-environment fit of older people in a village Develop some ideas for measurement: topic list or questions in questionnaire Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 18

Research design conceptual model Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 19 Dependent variables: Person-environment fit Explanatory variables: Life history characteristics Individual characteristics Contextual characteristics Self-reliance (housing, care) Feeling at home (belonging, identity)

Research region: Eastern Gelderland 20Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Research region: Eastern Gelderland 21Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Data Women and men > 55 years 1995 survey 285 women, 230 men 1995 interviews 15 women, 10 men 2009 survey 285 women, 230 men 2009 interviews 15 women, 8 men 22Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Indicators of modernity and person- environment fit Driving license Car availability Experience with paid work Educational level Satisfaction with dwelling Satisfaction with village Feelings of safety locally Attachment to village Active outside home Traditional-ModernVulnerable-successful 23Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Traditional / Modern Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 24

Four situations of person- environment fit vulnerablesuccessful traditional21 modern34 25Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Traditional successful: Nel 75 years Lives 50 years in small village M. Married with farmer Active in community life (choir, noaberschap, dialect) Feels perfectly at home Feels safe I leave the keys in my car and everybody could take the car and I let all the doors open and there is always coffee for anybody who drops in 26Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Traditional vulnerable: Corrie 86 years Wheelchair 45 years in industrial village B. Low involvement in community life Knows less and less people Feels unsafe The tight community is still there but has gone underground 27Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Modern vulnerable: Anna 68 years 34 years in small village L. Active in social activities outside village (tennis, classical music) Few contacts in village Feels not at home Feels unsafe L. does not feel as my village 28Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Modern successful: Marjan 68 years Born in large village K., but lived longtime outside village Active in aqua fitness, badminton and voluntary work (Third World shop, Red Cross, local crafts) in village Helps people, knows many people in village Feels at home Feels safe Actively anticipates on later life in village I have spotted my future house in the village 29Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

Person environment fit: Vulnerable older women / type of village Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults 30

Critical human ecology viewpoint on ageing older adults are not passive recipients of the environments in which they live, but have varying capacities to make choices and to act on and adapt their environments (Keating and Phillips, 2008, p. 4) 31Vulnerability and the person-environment fit of older adults

32 Conceptualization and measurement of person-environment fit of older people in small villages Self reliance General opinion about self-relianceOwn contribution: Housing Opinion about dwelling Opinion about residential environment Opinion about characteristics of the residential environment (facilities, safety, inhabitants, attractiveness) Recent activities aimed at better person-environment fit: Moving, changes to dwelling, activities aimed at better fit with respect to residential environment Care Opinion about formal care Opinion about informal care of family Opinion about informal care of neighbours Opinion about informal care of friends Recent activities with respect to self-care, informal care, volunteering, helping family, friends and neighbours Feeling at home General opinion about feeling at homeOwn contribution: Well- being Loneliness Place attachment: o Social (social integration) o Physical (esthetical and emotional) o Historical (relation developed in time) Identification: relation between own lifestyle and place identity Recent activities with respect to social integration, the physical quality of the village, historical consciousness, attuning lifestyle and place

Vulnerability and the person- environment fit of older adults Frans Thissen Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies

Vulnerability and the person- environment fit of older adults Frans Thissen Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies.

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