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The Geographic Mobility of Elderly Canadians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

Herbert C. Northcott  and
Courtney R. Petruik
Herbert C. Northcott*
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Courtney R. Petruik
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
*
*Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Herbert C. Northcott, Ph.D. Dept. of Sociology 5th Floor Tory Building University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4 (herb.northcott@ualberta.ca)
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Abstract

The monograph Changing Residence: The Geographic Mobility of Elderly Canadians (Northcott, 1988) reviewed the research that had been done up to the mid-1980s on the geographic mobility of older persons in Canada and elsewhere. The purpose of this article is to provide an update and overview of developments in the study of the geographic mobility of seniors since the mid-1980s with a particular emphasis on Canada. In this review, we first examine progress over the past 25 years in research about seniors’ geographic mobility and focus on three topics: the relocation and geographic concentration of seniors, seasonal migration (“snowbirds”), and international migration. Second, we assess the current status of research on elder migration in Canada. Finally, we identify future challenges and unanswered questions, and make suggestions for future research.

Résumé

La monographie Changing Residence: The Geographic Mobility of Elderly Canadians (Northcott, 1988) a examiné les travaux de recherche qui avaient été fait vers le milieu des années mi-1980 sur la mobilité géographique des personnes âgées au Canada et ailleurs. Le but de cet article est de fournir une mise à jour et une vue d’ensemble des développements dans l’étude de la mobilité géographique des personnes âgées, depuis le milieu des années 1980, avec un accent particulier sur le Canada. Dans cette revue, tout d’abord nous examinons le progrès au cours des derniers 25 ans dans la recherche sur la mobilité géographique des personnes âgées et se concentrons sur trois thèmes : le deplacement et la concentration géographique des personnes âgées, la migration saisonnière « retraités migrateurs » et les migrations internationales. Deuxièmement, nous évaluons l’état actuel de la recherche sur la migration des personnes âgées au Canada. Enfin, nous identifions les défis futurs et des questions sans réponses et offrons des suggestions pour la recherche du futur.

Keywords

mobilité géographiquepersonnes âgéesCanadamigration saisonnièremigration internationalegeographic mobilityseniorsCanadaseasonal migrationinternational migration
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 311 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2011

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