Moving to a Manufactured Home. A recipe for reducing older people's fear of crime

Abstract

Despite statistics which indicate that older people in Australia are the least likely group within the community to become victims of crime, older people especially women, report feeling less safe when alone in their home and fearful of becoming a victim of sexual assault or home invasion. concerns about personal safety and security have been found to be one of the most significant factors in older people considering a move to a retirement village or manufactured home estate. This paper presents the result of a study conducted with resident of manufactured home in South east Queensland. The study sought to investigate the health and financial implications for older people who move to a manufactured home or mobile park. 200 residents were surveyed and in-depth interviews were conducted. The study found a high level of satisfaction amongst residents. The high level of satisfaction was examined further and many participants nominated that a reduction the level of fear of crime played an important part in their overall level of satisfaction. Security measures, included in the design and development of manufactured home estates, together with reciprocity social support and strong resident networks were vital components in reducing the levels of fear experienced by residents. In presenting the results of this study, the role of reciprocity social support and strong resident networks within manufactured and retirement villages will be explored as will the capacity of age segregated housing such as retirement villages and manufactured homeparks to enhance older people's autonomy and independence