Geographical life-space and subjective wellbeing in later life

Abstract

Geographical life-space is an important factor to consider when studying subjective wellbeing of older adults. The purpose of this article is twofold: to provide an in-depth understanding of 1) the geographical life-spaces in which the lives of older adults take place and 2) the relation between life-space and experienced levels of subjective wellbeing. Seventy-six older adults (aged 65 and older) participated in our qualitative study. We applied a qualitative research approach, through combining indepth-interviews with visual life-space diagrams. Our findings show that most older adults continue to experience a high level of subjective wellbeing, regardless of the extent of their life-space. We conclude that the possibility to fulfill one's needs, even in a restricted life-space, is more conducive to maintaining subjective wellbeing than the extent of life-space itself.

Keywords: Life-space; Older adults; Qualitative methodology; Subjective wellbeing; The Netherlands.