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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2022

Unequal responses of the elderly to the changes in their environment : a case study of their shopping experience.

Angèle Brachet

Résumé

This communication analyses the strategies used by the elderly to cope with changes in their home environment. Focusing on men and women living at home in different settings located in rural and suburban areas, the study investigates the impacts of both physical and social environment changes on food access. Evolutions in grocery retails and transport services, and changes in the neighborhood bring new challenges to the elderly who need also to adapt to their aging body and mind. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews of people aged 71 and over were conducted in the suburban parts of two French mid-size urban areas, Limoges and Dijon. The interviews focused on shopping trips, the spatial location of stores, the in-store experience and the daily organization. Results illustrate the new obstacles to mobility when physical and mental capacities decrease. We show that small details play a crucial role in food access. We also show a shift of shopping trips towards smaller urban centralities rather than the main city center to avoid difficulties related to mobility such as walking or driving. In addition, age and health conditions determine the ability to cope with changes. Moreover, the importance and the nature of changes can have important consequences on the aging at home experience. Digital tools such as online shopping or drive-through are of crucial help for people facing physical difficulties to walk or to carry bags. On the other hand, the dematerialization of services, the automation of payment, can restrain the ability to shop online but also in-store.
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Dates et versions

hal-03739489 , version 1 (27-07-2022)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-03739489 , version 1

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Angèle Brachet. Unequal responses of the elderly to the changes in their environment : a case study of their shopping experience.. Annual meeting of American Association of Geographers (AAG), Feb 2022, New York, United States. ⟨hal-03739489⟩
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