학술논문

Older women with a low pension, living in Sweden: Strategies to age in place and thoughts about future housing
Document Type
Source
Housing and Society EpiHealth: Epidemiology for Health. 50(3):357-374
Subject
older adults
retirement
low pension
housing
residential reasoning
Samhällsvetenskap
Social och ekonomisk geografi
Kulturgeografi
Social Sciences
Social and Economic Geography
Human Geography
Language
English
ISSN
0888-2746
Abstract
Financial security influences good quality housing, health, and longevity, but few recent studies of the financial aspects of aging in place have been published. We explored strategies used to age in place and thoughts about future housing among women aged 65 and older living with a low pension in Sweden. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 13 women aged 65 and older with a low pension, followed by thematic analysis. Three themes were generated. “Adjusting to a low pension” explains that most participants needed to supplement their pension with savings or earnings to afford housing and living costs. “The home as a home – and an asset” explains that relocating or renting out the property were common strategies that could raise money to supplement their pension. “Thoughts about the future (home)” explains that most participants preferred to age in place, but pragmatic considerations about potential housing costs, housing type, housing locality, safety, and security were expressed. In addition to the need for further research on this topic, our findings have implications for community planning and can be used to inform pension and housing policies in Sweden and countries with similar welfare systems.