Charles F. Longino

Pandora’s Briefcase: Unpacking the Retirement Migration Decision

This is an exploratory study of the decision process leading to retirement migration. It uses a unique national study of a sample (n = 255) of retirees who were aging in place in a city in the upper Midwest, and a sample (n = 593) of retired migrants to a Southeastern community in Florida. Both sets of respondents were asked an extensive set of questions (1) about their potential move (or the experience of having moved), and how destinations are chosen; (2) about their attachments to people and places in their lives; and (3) their images of the advantages and disadvantages of living in their current and other locations. These data were sorted in a spirit of exploration; serious attempts were made to minimize advanced expectations. Pushes and pulls were found both at the origin and at the destination of retirement moves although satisfaction with current residence was very high in both places.

Married and Spouseless Men and Women in Planned Retirement Communities: Support Network Differentials.

This paper explores the nature of informal support given to older persons, depending upon the gender and marital status of the recipient. To control for differential availability of formal resources, random samples of 488 noninstitutionalized residents of two midwestern retirement communities were interviewed. It was found that the married have more primary relations than the nonmarried. Married women have the most and spouseless men the fewest. This deficit is compensated, to some extent, among the unmarried by the presence of more secondary relations in their support systems. Among those without spouses, the women receive significantly more emotional, social, and instrumental support from family members. The greatest informal resource deficits are found among the unmarried men. It was suggested that the female investment in maintaining family ties pays off in later life. To a certain extent, the process of resident selectivity may help to explain the differentials in support networks, as well.

Migrating Retirees: A Source for Economic Development

Communities depending solely on recruiting manufacturing industries for economic growth and development might be missing opportunities to better succeed with their efforts. Also, with all of the competition among communities for the relocation of these plants, the odds of success for many communities are low. Many smaller communities cannot compete in this strategy but have the necessary infrastructure for an overlooked strategy: attracting retirees. Older amenity and return migrants have high recession proof incomes (largely discretionary), and substantial financial assets that they transfer to their community of relocation. Their demand for goods and services stimulates the following industries: real estate, financial, health care, recreational, utilities, insurance, and retail. The community economic impact of these in-migrants is shown to be extremely positive.

North American research on seasonal migration.

The authors attempt to summarize U.S. research on elderly seasonal migration in the context of a recent study on the seasonal migration of elderly Canadian winter residents in Florida. (ANNOTATION)

Health care utilization of Canadian snowbirds: an example of strategic planning.

Older English-speaking Canadian seasonal migrants to Florida (N = 2046) were surveyed during the winter of 1986. They are users of two health care systems and are generally in good health. When they do need to use health care resources, however, they show a distinct preference for the Canadian system. There is a sensitivity to health concerns, especially among the older of the migrants. This sensitivity generates considerable precautionary behavior including pretravel visits to their Canadian family doctors, stocking up on drugs before the trip, and taking out health insurance for Canadians traveling abroad. The behavior is strategic in that it is both intentional and oriented to contingencies. Cost of health care may be a motivating factor because such strategic behavior is inversely related to income in this relatively affluent migrating population. The flock of Canadian snowbirds is not likely to place exorbitant demands on the U.S. health care system.

Demographic Trends That Will Shape U.S. Policy in the Twenty-First Century

This article first reviews recent facts about the size, distribution, and general characteristics of the older adult population. Next, the importance of considering variation in the aging experience is discussed. Then the implications of trends related to American families and womens labor force participation are explored. Finally, the challenges of addressing these trends given projected fiscal pressures are considered. The authors emphasize the diversity that exists among the older adult population and argue that mounting disparities could increase the salience of public programs for certain segments of the older adult population. In addition, even under the best-case scenarios of improving health, lower disability, and declining mortality, the projected increase in the older adult population is likely to place heavy demands on federal, state, and local programs for older adults. Overall, this review of issues related to recent demographic trends provides a foundation for the subsequent articles in this edited volume.

Geographic Mobility and Aging in Place

of retirement migration on receiving communities. At this point the geographical patterns of later-life migration will be described, on both the state and county or county group level in the United States. As part of this description of patterns, brief attention is given to seasonal migration. Next we review evidence from longitudinal panel studies pertaining to the causes of residential mobility among elders. The final section of the chapter discusses the impact of migration on the health and well-being of older adults.

Older Anglophone Canadian Snowbirds in Florida: A Descriptive Profile

This study reports on a population of Anglophone Canadian seasonal migrants to Florida. Surveys were mailed to 4,500 subscribers to Canada News, a Florida-based weekly paper, and were completed by 61% of the respondents. The descriptive profile reveals younger-old, healthy, married, home owners of moderate income who stay in Fionda for six months, but communicate regularly with their Canadian family. They utilize no social services in Florida, are satisfied with life and with their Florida health care experiences, but take various precautionary health care measures prior to leaving Canada. Their Florida visits will continue, moderated more by the exchange rate than health concerns. These data will be discussed relative to policy issues for Florida and Canada.

Residential Relocation of Older People Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan

Using the 1970 one percent Public Use Sample tapes, the metropolitan/nonmetropolitan migration of persons age 60 and over are examined in this article. Between 1965 and 1970 they largely moved within the same general environmental settings. More than half of both intrastate and interstate migrants moved between or within metropolitan settings. Of the third who changed residential environments, 6% more moved from metropolitan to nonmetropolitan areas than the reverse. Thus, the turnaround is evident in these data. Concerning migrant characteristics, those moving to nonmetropolitan settings tended to be married and living independently. They also had more education and income than elderly nonmovers. They thus contributed to the gentrification of nonmetropolitan America. Some evidence of a more dependent elderly population moving to the metropolitan areas from outside them is seen in the data and its implications discussed.

Elderly interstate migration: impact on sending and receiving states 1965 to 1970.

This article analyzes the characteristics of individuals age 60 and over who were interstate migrants between 1965 and 1970. It specifically examines the impact of elderly migration on seven major sending and seven major receiving states. When the outmigrant total was compared with the elderly residents left behind in the major origin states, a negative impact was apparent because of the positive selectivity of migrants on age, marital status, and economic independence. Conversely, when the inmigrant total was compared with older in-place residents in destination states, a positive impact was discerned from the addition of younger, married, more economically independent newcomers. The primary exception to these patterns was California, where both elderly inmigrants and outmigrants, as compared with the residentially stable, tended to be more economically dependent. The conclusions suggest that migrant characteristics as well as changing numbers of the elderly should be considered in funding formulas for federal elderly support programs.