An exploration of factors influencing adjustment among relocating rural elders

The aim of this preliminary qualitative study was to examine factors influencing the adjustment of 34 elderly people relocating to an age-segregated planned housing unit in a rural community. Factors identified as affecting urban relocation were explored as a basis for developing a greater understanding of rural elders. Data from open-ended interviews were analyzed through sorting into categories by themes. Inclusion of factors reported to influence relocation among urban-dwelling elders in rural relocation research was validated through the template analytic technique. Content analysis resulted in support for the variables of predictability, controllability, social support and interaction, recency of loss, and prior life satisfaction as potential influences on post-relocation adjustment. Health professionals can ease adjustment through increased understanding of the factors that affect adjustment to relocation. Based on these preliminary findings, a more comprehensive study of relocation among the rural aged is warranted.