Ageing and Society, 30(6), August 2010, pp.965-985.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Residential mobile homes, usually referred to as park homes, are a small, niche sector of the United Kingdom housing market. Whilst the sector has long provided a low-cost housing option for people of all ages, in recent years it has increasingly aligned itself as a lifestyle choice for older people. This paper reports a study of residents of park-homes that focused on their motivations for choosing this form of accommodation, and on their views about and experiences of park-home living. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 park-home residents in sites in either private ownership, local authority or housing association ownership in various regions of England. Most respondents reported very positive experiences of park-home living and shared similar views about the benefits, but there were a few dissenting voices. Two conceptual frameworks are used to help understand the experiences of the respondents. ‘Elective belonging’ offers a way of contextualising the narratives that people articulate about their lifestyle choices and that affirm their sense of biographical continuity even having moved to new locations. This notion also helps frame some of the tensions that arise among the residents. The second framework, ‘biographical disruption’, is a way of framing the stories that the respondents told when their lives had not followed the anticipated trajectory and by which they coped and made sense of the circumstances which soured their chosen lifestyle.
Residential mobile homes, usually referred to as park homes, are a small, niche sector of the United Kingdom housing market. Whilst the sector has long provided a low-cost housing option for people of all ages, in recent years it has increasingly aligned itself as a lifestyle choice for older people. This paper reports a study of residents of park-homes that focused on their motivations for choosing this form of accommodation, and on their views about and experiences of park-home living. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 park-home residents in sites in either private ownership, local authority or housing association ownership in various regions of England. Most respondents reported very positive experiences of park-home living and shared similar views about the benefits, but there were a few dissenting voices. Two conceptual frameworks are used to help understand the experiences of the respondents. ‘Elective belonging’ offers a way of contextualising the narratives that people articulate about their lifestyle choices and that affirm their sense of biographical continuity even having moved to new locations. This notion also helps frame some of the tensions that arise among the residents. The second framework, ‘biographical disruption’, is a way of framing the stories that the respondents told when their lives had not followed the anticipated trajectory and by which they coped and made sense of the circumstances which soured their chosen lifestyle.
Subject terms:
housing, life style, older people, retirement, social inclusion, communities;
Hartrigg Oaks is the first example in the UK of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), developed by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. On a 21-acre site in York, 152 bungalows are clustered around a central complex containing amenities, including a library, cafe and restaurant, and a residential care home known as ‘The Oaks’. As a CCRC, Hartrigg Oaks is designed to provide a housing
Hartrigg Oaks is the first example in the UK of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), developed by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. On a 21-acre site in York, 152 bungalows are clustered around a central complex containing amenities, including a library, cafe and restaurant, and a residential care home known as ‘The Oaks’. As a CCRC, Hartrigg Oaks is designed to provide a housing option for older people in which they may live independently for many years. At any given point in time, most of the residents in Hartrigg Oaks will be living largely, or wholly, independent lives. The extensive care and support services provided at Hartrigg Oaks are primarily designed to allow its residents to remain in their bungalows. Should their care needs become more pronounced they can remain on the Hartrigg Oaks site within ‘The Oaks’ registered care home, which offers both interim and permanent care. Hartrigg Oaks is financed through an insurance based model, residents pay into a communal financial pool through an annual fee. The care and support services that Hartrigg Oaks provides are then financed through this pool. Through using this approach, residents can be offered the option of paying an annual fee that will not increase according to their use of care services.
Subject terms:
independence, housebound people, long stay care, older people, residential care, retirement, retirement communities, social care provision, care homes, communities, financing;