Bacconnier-Baylet, Sandrine
Ways of life in residential developments for independent older people
- 2018.
15
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the reasons why seniors move into Ensembles résidentiels pour personnes âgées autonomes (Residential developments for independent elderly people, ERPAA) and their lifestyles. First of all, it is important to identify these ERPAA by indicating their typological diversity and their uneven distribution throughout the Pays de la Loire. Three related questions will structure the subject of this article: for what reasons did the residents of these ERPAA make this residential choice? What are they doing there? What are their socio-spatial practices? Our contribution will draw on the results of the research programme “Longevity, Mobility, and Autonomy” (LMA) financed by the region of Pays de la Loire. We will utilize, as far as methodology, a database enabling us to list the ERPAA in the Pays de la Loire, the results of a focus group involving fifty-two independent elderly people in seven residential developments, and the interviews with developers and/or administrators of these ERPAA.