About the Pathways Study
Overview
The Pathways to Life Quality study is designed to promote understanding
of patterns of housing choices and residential transitions over the life
course.
The Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) study started in the fall of 1995. A new CCRC was preparing to open its doors. Professor John A. Krout of Ithaca College and Professor Phyllis Moen of Cornell University recognized a unique research opportunity. They developed a survey to administer to individuals planning to move into this new community. In the summer of 1997 these people were surveyed again, about a year and a half after their move to the CCRC. (See the 1998 CCRC Progress Report.)
In the fall of 1997, Professors Krout and Moen developed a more elaborate research design and began collecting data from almost 800 more individuals ages 60 and over living in a variety of different housing arrangements. Pathways staff and students will be interviewing study participants every two years. (See the Pathways 1999 Overview.)
In addition to generating high-quality interdisciplinary research, the Pathways study increases the involvement of faculty and students with older adults and with the field of gerontology.
Goals
The three goals of the Pathways to Life Quality study are to:
- Investigate the effects of various residential settings on the health, well-being, and life quality of a sample of older Americans in an upstate New York community;
- Assess the decision-making choices regarding residential moves of older Americans, including their timing, degree of choice, and factors shaping residential changes and/or stability;
- Increase the gerontological knowledge and research skills of several cohorts of faculty and students and provide them with opportunities to interact with older adults.
Major Research Questions
Through comparing residents of different housing arrangements and
through looking at the predictors and impacts of change over time, we
will discover the circumstances, resources and/or housing arrangements
best predict the life quality, physical health, and psychological well-being
of people in later adulthood. More specifically, we will try to find out:
- Why do older adults move from independent housing into congregate facilities, and what features and amenities draw individuals to various housing arrangements?
- How do service utilization patterns vary for residents of different housing arrangements? Do they change over time?
- How are social contact, social participation, and social integration affected by residential arrangements and transitions?
- How do housing quality, housing design, place attachment and neighborhood features affect the well-being of older adults?
- How does participation in gerontological research affect students' attitudes and interests? How can we encourage students' interest in the field of gerontology?
Ithaca College
Center for Health Sciences
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: (607) 274-1965
Fax: (607) 274-1968
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