Based on the premise that the experience of aging in place is different for vulnerable subgroups of older adults compared with less vulnerable subgroups, we focus on low-income older adults as a vulnerable subgroup and senior housing as an alternative to a conventional, private home environment. Using the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Health Retirement Study, regression models determined the impact of person–environment (P-E) fit between poverty status and residence in senior housing on self-rated health. Consistent with the environmental docility hypothesis, findings show that, among low-income individuals, the supportive environment of senior housing plays a pronounced compensating role and may be a key to successful adaptation in aging. As the first research effort to empirically demonstrate the positive health effects of senior housing among socioeconomically vulnerable elders, our findings provide a much-needed theoretical and practical underpinning for policy-making efforts regarding vulnerable elders.

Objectives: Drawing on the person–environment (P–E) fit perspective, this study examined the role of environment on the well-being of vulnerable older adults in a non-western context. Using the indicators from the World Health Organization's (WHO) framework for age friendly cities (ACF), we examined life satisfaction among South Korean older adults, exploring the extent to which multidimensional environmental characteristics are associated with low socioeconomic status (SES). Method: Using the regionally representative data from the Seoul City-wide needs assessment of middle- and old-aged adults, an analytic sample (N = 1657) focused on community-living individuals aged 65 and older. Multilevel regression models examined interaction between SES subgroups and varying aspects of the environment (i.e. physical, social, and service environment) as related to life satisfaction. Results: Consistent with the environmental docility hypothesis, members of the most vulnerable subgroup in the Korean context – older adults who are living alone and poor – are more likely to have higher life satisfaction when they have higher levels of support in physical and social environments. Interestingly, a higher level of support in the service environment was related to lower life satisfaction for this subgroup. Conclusion: This study provides an empirical foundation for efforts to identify age-friendly environmental characteristics as modifiable environmental resources that can improve older adults’ psychological well-being. As the first attempt to use WHO ACF indicators within the P–E fit perspective in a non-Western context, our study provides a foundation for designing support services or programs that effectively meet the needs of vulnerable older adults.

This study identified differential patterns of later-life cognitive function trajectories and examined to what extent life course factors and social engagement are associated with group trajectories. Data came from seven waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 1998–2010; n = 7374; Observations = 41,051). Latent class growth analysis identified cognitive function trajectory groups, and multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with group trajectories. Five heterogeneous trajectories were identified: stable high, stable moderate, stable low, high-to-moderate, and moderate-to-low. Findings suggest that, after adjusting for life course factors, individuals who became volunteers were more likely to belong to one of the two least vulnerable trajectories, stable high or high-to-moderate. Our findings suggest that, despite the cumulative life course factors evident in cognitive decline, social engagement in old age may serve as a potential protective resource.

We examined differences in depressive symptoms among people 65 and older who live alone, exploring whether these differences are associated with both health and environmental contexts. Data are from the 2006 wave of Health Retirement Study (N = 2,956, age range: 65–104). We used a two-step cluster analytical approach to identify subgroups of health-limitation profiles and environmental profiles. Logistic regression models determined associations between subgroups and depressive symptoms. Cluster analysis identified four health-profile subgroups (sensory-cognitively impaired, physically impaired, multiply impaired, and healthy) and three different physical–social environmental-profile subgroups (physically average/socially unsupported, physically unsupported/socially supported, and physically supported/socially above average). Compared to members of healthier groups, members of the multiply impaired group were the oldest and were more likely both to live in senior housing and to have depressive symptoms if they lived in a physically average/socially unsupported environment. Members of the sensory-cognitively impaired group were more likely to have depressive symptoms when they lived in a physically unsupported/socially supported environment. Findings regarding the range of both health and social–physical environmental profiles as well as the associations between person–environment profiles combinations (fit) and depressive symptomatology have important policy and intervention implications.

This study focuses on vulnerable elders (i.e., those with moderate or low incomes who live alone) and examines to what extent a senior housing environment moderates the effects of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) on hospitalization over time. Data came from six waves (2002–2012) of the Health Retirement Study (N = 1,401 individuals, 3,705 observations). Mixed-effect multinomial logistic regression modeling estimated the effects of senior housing on changes in hospitalization. Vulnerable elders with MCCs were more likely to be hospitalized at both moderate and heavy levels at baseline. Consistent with the environment docility hypothesis, findings show that older individuals with MCCs who live in a senior housing environment have fewer hospitalizations over time. As one of the first efforts to build empirical knowledge on health care use among vulnerable elders in senior housing, our findings underscore the importance of continued research into these environments as a possible alternative to existing models.