Gilbrea Seminar Series – Social Disadvantage, Gentrification and Chronic Conditions in Seniors

Where we live, learn, work and play impact our health, but this is more apt for seniors. Community environment, i.e. an individual’s residential area, including social and physical environments, is important to seniors’ health. Gentrification, i.e. the transformation of neighbourhoods from low to high value, can make community-dwelling seniors more vulnerable. Seniors are susceptible to gentrification and residential displacement risk due to limited retirement incomes, stressors like increased property taxes and financial strain, residential turnover and changing access to goods and services. Thus, gentrification may exacerbate social disadvantages [e.g., lower socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic minority status] related to disparities in chronic conditions (CC). But, little gentrification research focuses on these issues. My research will examine relationships between social disadvantage, community environments, particularly gentrification, and prevalent CC and management in Hamilton, Ontario. I will use the Hamilton Neighbourhoods Study, a survey of adults’ neighbourhood priorities and concerns; conduct focus groups with community-dwelling, well-functioning (i.e. free of assistive devices for physical functioning) seniors 65+; and conduct key informant interviews with senior service providers. Analyses include multivariate and logistic regression for the survey and thematic analysis of focus groups and key informant interviews.

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Ronica N. Rooks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Director of Online Education at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research focuses on social-ecological explanations for racial and ethnic disparities in chronic conditions. Currently, she examines relationships between gentrification, displacement, and chronic conditions among seniors; and “time-banking,” a mechanism to facilitate aging-in-community, build social capital, and promote health across varied socioeconomic status communities in Denver, Colorado.

The Gilbrea Centre is an interdisciplinary research hub that is dedicated to addressing issues of aging through collaborative and policy relevant research.

All seminars are free and open to the public.