Abstract
‘Home time’ is not just most people’s favourite part of the day, it also speaks to the ways in which we construct our ‘sense of housing self’ across space, place and temporality as we navigate our housing pathways. It can take on increased significance in later life, as the housing decisions we make can directly impact our health, wellbeing and happiness in this most complex of life stages. Home time is profoundly shaped by the interaction of multiple identities, as people cast forwards and backwards to map where they have come from and where they hope to be. Others, both the presence and absence of, are used to create a bridge to a future self, to justify past choices, as an aid to forecasting, a cautionary tale, an ideal and an idiot’s guide. Social relationships with partners, parents, children and friends form the blocks from which future (housing) selves are constructed. This paper draws on doctoral research into late-life housing decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 practitioners and 38 people aged between 65 and 99 living in a range of housing types, and a reflexive thematic approach was used to make meaning from the data. Themes include: Home, time and changes in the housing self; Housing communities as sites of support; Family relationships as push and pull; The impact of partners on visions of the future; Who belongs where, and when; The role of peer support networks in future pathway mapping.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Identity construction, Temporalities, Reflexive research, Support networks, Belonging, Social relationships
