[Reflections on the topic of good housing conditions and growing old: Not everybody has a choice]

The variety of options with regard to housing for elderly people has increased. This study was carried out to understand how individuals reflect on their own options within this growing market.

In a qualitative study design 26 single person households (65+ years) were interviewed. The aim of the study was to understand what influences the individual ideas about moving residence or staying put.

A great majority of the elderly seem to reflect on their own living situation. There are not just spatial and constructional reasons that make people consider moving residence but also the financial situation, the possibility to spend the day with meaningful activities and the existence of a social network. The individual need for security and autonomy for the present and the future influences the interpretation of a given situation.

The reflection on ones own housing situation is interlinked with the person's ability and capacity. One can only find solutions if one can think of them and one can only act if one has the potential.