Health, Social Support, and Housing Transitions among Older Adults

Janet Wilmoth, Syracuse University

Previous research indicates age-related diseases that lead to disability increase the risk of a housing transition among older adults. However, the role of social support in this process is unclear. This analysis examines the relationship between health status, social support, and housing transitions among the older adult population with data from the 1993 and 1995 Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) study. The specific aims are to: 1)Examine the degree to which social support moderates the relationship between health and housing transitions. 2)Identify the effect of different sources of support on housing transitions. The analysis will assess how reliance upon different sources of support (i.e., informal only, formal only, and a combination of informal and formal) is related to changes in housing type (i.e., private residence, supportive housing, nursing home) over a two-year period.