Aging in Place within Fairfax: The Lived Experience of Neighborhood Transition

• In Event: 499 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtable Session.
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Aging in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

Despite the recent explosion of research focused on life course trajectories and the mechanisms that contribute to cumulative dis/advantage (Dannefer, 2003) over the life course, scant attention has been paid to the lived experience of life course trajectories. Utilizing life history interviews, this study explored the way in which older adults (65 +) from the Fairfax neighborhood in Cleveland, OH experience and describe changes that have occurred within their community in relation to changes in in their own life circumstances. Themes that specifically exemplified descriptions of neighborhood change over the life course (i.e. childhood place and neighborhood safety) are discussed. Findings from this study demonstrate the value of incorporating voice and personal history into research that focuses on life course trajectories, neighborhood influences on individual outcomes (e.g. health, mortality, disability), and neighborhood transitions over time.

Author

• Kaitlyn Barnes, Case Western Reserve University