Expecting Relocation to a Nursing Home: Longitudinal Links with Functional Limitations, Self-Rated Health, and Life Satisfaction

Introduction: Developing realistic expectations of future old age constitutes an adaptational process which facilitates the anticipation of- and adjustment to challenges, such as relocation to a nursing home. Developing such expectations might minimize negative impacts of relocation. This pre-registered study examined (a) to which extent lower levels and declines in health (i.e., functional limitations and self-rated health) and life satisfaction before relocation were associated with higher levels and increases in expectations to relocate, and (b) to which extent higher expectations to relocate were associated with more positive changes in health and life satisfaction after relocation. Methods: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; 2006-2018), we selected older adults (aged 65 years and older) who relocated to a nursing home. We used latent growth curve models (LGMs) to assess the longitudinal links between self-reported measures of health, life satisfaction, and expectations to relocate to a nursing home from up to seven years before (n = 1,048) until up to five years after relocation (n = 307). Results: As hypothesized, more functional limitations and lower self-rated health were related to higher expectations of relocation. Surprisingly, changes in expectations to relocate were not related to changes in health and life satisfaction before relocation. Moreover, expectations to relocate were not associated with changes in health and life satisfaction after relocation. Conclusion: The absence of a link between expectations to relocate to a nursing home with changes in health and well-being suggests that these expectations did not constitute adaptational processes before or after this transition.