Research on Aging

International literature on early-retirement decisions concentrates either on determinants of retirement attitudes and intentions or on determinants of retirement behavior. This study focuses on determinants of retirement behavior, analyzes whether retirement intentions are a proximate determinant of retirement behavior, and examines how a discrepancy between the two can be explained. Data have been analyzed from a survey conducted among Dutch civil servants who were less than 1 year from the moment of eligibility for early retirement. The authors conclude that the opportunity structure and the evaluation of the perceived consequences of early retirement are important in the early-retirement decision-making process. They also conclude that intentions with respect to early retirement only partly take into account the social consequences of retirement and the perceived social support of the partner.

This study investigates which care provider an elderly person living independently and aged 65 and older would prefer most should he or she be in need of such care. Four (hypothetical) care-need situations were distinguished, and respondents were requested to state their preference in each situation. In addition, the influence on these preferences of both individual and social characteristics of the elders and their previous experience with care was examined. A preference for informal care declines when the expected duration of care is extended and/or the person requires personal care. Previous experience with either formal or informal care increased the likelihood that that type of care would be preferred. Other predictive factors were age, gender, socioeconomic status, and the level of well-being. More research on the preferences of the older persons would enable health care professionals and government to adjust their policies to accommodate the wishes of the elders.

Responses from personal interviews with a random sample of 2,178 adults aged 60 years and older living in their homes in eastern North Carolina were used to examine the effects of predisposing, enabling, and need indicators on differences in the use of health and community-based services separately for African American and White elders. Health services include primary care visits and visits to specialists. Community-based services were categorized into personal care services and financial assistance. Logistic regression analyses were done in an attempt to explain why African American elders are more likely than are Whites to use both kinds of community-based services, are less likely than are Whites to use specialty care, and whether there are differences by race in the use of primary care physicians. Results indicate that the odds of using financial assistance and medical care vary by race according to selected predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics. There is little difference by race, however, in the use of financial assistance services. The implications of the findings are discussed.

This study presents a model linking personal and job-related factors to job satisfaction, job commitment, and turnover. Responses from the staff of six nursing homes and 12 community facilities serving older adults were included. Using a modified version of the causal model of turnover developed by Price and Mueller, three sets of predictors were tested to explain the causes for turnover: personal characteristics, job characteristics, and attitudes. The best predictor of turnover was the employee's intention to leave, followed by the length of employment (shorter), and age (younger). Intention to leave was, in turn, predicted by age (younger), length of employment (shorter), job dissatisfaction, and the type of agency for which the employee worked (community).Dissatisfaction seems to be a major factor that results in a desire to leave the job and may lead to either turnover or continued dissatisfaction with the job. Implications for enhancing employee morale and reducing job turnover are discussed.