The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting retirement migration of older persons, using Haas and Serow's (1993) model as the framework. Data were based on 462 persons aged 50 and older who had migrated to Idaho and surrendered their out-of-state drivers' licenses during 1992 and 1993. Most moved from another state in the west and were motivated to move to Idaho by such factors as outdoor recreation and quality and pace of life. They had visited their new community at least five times before moving and developed social ties quickly upon arriving. Businesses and community planners can more effectively anticipate changes necessary to accommodate older migrants to their community.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of energy audits on home energy consumption rate, and to determine factors affecting participation in energy audit/weatherization programmes. Objectives included: (i) developing a linear model for predicting home energy consumption; (ii) examining the role of home energy audits in consumption rate; (iii) determining whether audit participation had increased over a two‐year period; (iv) surveying reasons for non‐participation, and (v) identifying sources of audit/conservation information which were most acceptable to consumers. The model expressed home energy consumption per square foot as a linear function of demographic, attitudinal and structural variables. The three most significant predictors in the model were adequacy of information, housing tenure and income. Eight out of 10 conservation measures studied were significantly more likely to exist in the homes of those who had had an audit. Three of these measures were also significant in the model. Study findings included a 7% increase in audit participation from 1981 to 1983. Lack of money and information were the two major factors inhibiting participation. Consumers indicated a need for conservation information from acceptable sources such as short courses or workshops, county extension agents, or skilled craftspeople.

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of preretirees that predict perception of the likelihood of their making a move at retirement. The random sample included employees, 40 years or older, of nine land grant universities. Data were collected from 5,662 people via a mail survey and analyzed by frequency distributions and multiple classification analysis. Twenty‐six characteristics of preretirees were divided into four variable groups for separate multiple classification analyses. The 10 best predictors were then segregated from their variable groups and combined for a final analysis. Together, they explained 31.1% of the variance in perceived likelihood of postretirement migration. A model of personal determinants of the first postretirement move was created to conceptualize how the characteristics of preretirees interact in producing postretirement migration decisions. The four best predictors were in the perceptions of retirement and relocation variables group. Also, people who thought they would not experience difficulty in makings move, who had decided when to retire but not where, were renters, or who preferred to be near oceans rather than mountains were more likely to perceive that they were likely to move on retirement. Further research could determine if perceptions of likelihood of moving result in an actual move.

Attitudes of nursing students in an R.N. diploma program toward the elderly were assessed. Eighty-six students entering their nursing program volunteered and participated in the study. The Oberleder Attitude Toward Aging Scale was completed by the students before any course work which included gerontology content had begun. Each student also completed a five-week clinical experience that focused on the elderly. The Oberleder scale was completed again at the end of the semester. Pretest and posttest responses were assessed and a dependent t-distribution was calculated which revealed that change in attitudes toward the elderly was associated with the gerontological content coursework and clinical experience. Findings provide implications and recommendations for program and curriculum development in nursing education programs.