This study explored influences on the housing choices of retirees. Sixteen convergent interviewing processes were conducted in inner urban, suburban, coastal and rural locations in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In each location, separate interview processes were conducted with retirement village residents and retirees living in the surrounding community. Eighty-one village residents and 73 community residents were interviewed. Convergence (agreement) emerged within and between interview processes about two key themes: community, reflecting social connection and support, and separation, reflecting privacy and independence. A desire for community was pervasive, but was achieved differently in different locations and by retirement village and community residents. Community residents were more concerned about independence and had more negative perceptions of the impact of retirement village living on separation than village residents. Implications for retirement housing are discussed.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	housing choice, retirement housing, community, independence
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Health services and systems
Research Field:	Aged health care
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health)
Objective Field:	Health related to ageing
UTAS Author:	Bohle, P (Professor Philip Bohle)
ID Code:	131379
Year Published:	2014
Web of Science® Times Cited:	19
Deposited By:	TSBE
Deposited On:	2019-03-14
Last Modified:	2019-05-10
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