(see Poster Gallery) Differences in Moving Push Factors Among Non-Movers, Community Movers, and Nursing Home Movers: The Moderating Role of Social Activities

Background and Purpose: Older adults have a tendency not to leave their current residence. However, due to various events occurring along the life cycle, older adults migrate to local communities or long-term care facilities. Wiseman suggested that the push factors cause dissatisfaction with the current residence and cause older adults to move. Push factors can act as a stressor, adversely affecting older adults' physical and mental health. Although the push factors may vary depending on whether older adults move within the community or to a nursing home, few studies have investigated the differences in push factors. In addition, the social activities of older adults may prevent older adults from moving. However, few studies have investigated whether social activity buffers the relationship between push factors and moving. This study investigates differences in the push factors according to the moving destination and whether the moving changes according to social activities.

Methods: This study used rounds 6 and 7 of the national health and aging trend study targeting Medicare beneficiaries over 65 years old. Push factors, including categories of health problems, financial difficulties, new widowhood, renter status, and stressful environmental condition, were from Round 6. Movers, the dependent variables, and social activities, moderators were from Round 7. Three logistic regressions compared push factors between non-mover and community mover, non-mover and nursing home mover, community mover, and nursing home mover, respectively. The buffering effect was measured by applying social activities as an interaction variable only to the push factors that significantly affected moving.

Results: Compared to non-movers, community movers were younger, renters, had better health, and experienced hospital stays. Compared to non-movers, nursing home movers were older, White, renters, and experienced cognitive decline, higher neighborhood disorder, and hospital stays. Nursing home movers were White or Black, older, and had lower cognition than community movers. Compared to non-movers, older adults who moved to community or nursing homes were renters or experienced lower cognition or hospital stays. The buffering effect of social activity appeared when the cognitive decline was a push factor.

Conclusions and Implications: According to the findings, older adults who were renters and experienced hospital stays were more likely to move. Older adults with younger and better health moved within the community, but older and poor cognition moved to a nursing home. However, even if cognition deteriorated, older adults who participated in social activities were less likely to move to a nursing home. These findings allow practitioners to identify the moving factors of older adults and thus consider providing services that can prevent unwanted moving. Also, practitioners may need to activate social activities at the local community level to promote the participation of older adults in social activities. In addition, these findings propose to the legislators to develop policies to procure the necessary financial resources to develop and activate social activities and intervention programs to prevent older adults from moving. Finally, it is necessary to study the mechanism that can buffer the deterioration of health of older adults due to moving.