Editorial

Passing of the Torch

The Journal of Housing for the Elderly was first published in 1983 to disseminate research associated with the National Center on Housing and Living Arrangements for the Elderly at the University of Michigan. The name of the journal reflected the focus on housing for older adults, in contrast to long-term care facilities, which characterized the dichotomy between the two areas in the early days of the field of aging and the environment. The center’s director, Dr. Leon (Lee) Pastalan, initiated the journal and he was its first editor. Trained as a sociologist, Lee was a professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. He joined the college in 1966 as a research associate, like numerous social scientists who arrived at the schools of architecture following the urban crisis of the 1960s. As a long-standing researcher in the field of environment and aging, he brought with him a passion for social justice, compassion, empathy, and expertise in sensory deficits, spatial behavior, and housing. Lee was one of the few trailblazers in the field of environmental gerontology who coached many doctoral students who later became the second generation of leaders in the field. Under his management the journal evolved into a respectable academic publication integrating theoretical and applied research.

When I studied in the doctoral program at the University of Michigan between 1988 and 1992, Dr. Pastalan became my advisor, mentor, and a friend. After Dr. Pastalan retired, the journal’s publisher, Haworth Press, offered me the position and I became the editor of the journal in 2000. At that time, the journal was published twice a year and centered on special issues. In 2004, the publisher agreed to expand the scope of the journal, and to publish four issues a year to allow for more flexibility and the enrichment of the journal’s content. In 2007, with the acquisition of the journal by Taylor & Francis, the journal evolved into an international publication. In its current form, the journal is one of the only academic publications dedicated to environmental gerontology as its core mission.

It has covered research in such areas as identification of salient topics in aging and environment; case studies of successful practices of developments of housing for older people; refinement of existing methodologies and the development of new ones for evaluating the consequences of diverse residential environments; translation of research findings into usable information for researchers and practitioners alike; and articulation of issues and problems in the development and implementation of public policies on housing, community, and care settings for older people. These broader research areas expanded the scope of the journal beyond the original focus on housing for older adults.

Besides the regular quarterly publications, we have invited over the years several guest editors to produce special issues on contemporary subjects. Among the special issues have been The Role of Outdoor Environments for Older Adults (vol. 19, no. 3–4, 2005–2006); Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia (vol. 21, no. 1–2; 3–4, 2007); Palliative Care and Hospice Programs (vol. 23, no. 1–2, 2009); Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (vol. 24, no. 1–2, 2010); Environmental Gerontology—What Now? (vol. 26, no. 1–3, 2012); Housing for Elderly People in Scandinavia (vol. 29, no. 1–2, 2015); Age-Friendly Interventions (vol. 31, no. 1–2, 2017); and Environments for Dying, Death and Caregiving at the End of Life (vol. 32, no. 3–4, 2018).

Following my retirement from my academic position at the University of Missouri–Columbia, it is time to pass the torch. I was delighted that Dr. Habib Chaudhury, a distinguished scholar in environmental gerontology who served as an associate editor of the journal for many years, agreed to take responsibility for the journal. I am confident that the Journal of Housing for the Elderly is in very good and capable hands and I trust that it will continue to thrive under Habib’s leadership. Thanks to all the people who contributed over the years to the success of the journal.

My appreciation goes to the worldwide community of academics who made the editing of the journal possible through their incredible support and dedication. Most members of the Editorial Board of the journal acted also as peer reviewers for the growing number of submissions and helped to feature their research in the journal. Their selflessness and willingness to support the publication across international boundaries for a common cause have been invaluable. Thanks are also due to all the guest editors and the authors who contributed through their research reports, respectful opinions, and incredible insights to the growing body of knowledge in this line of inquiry. I owe thanks to the production staff at Haworth Press and Taylor & Francis, who met all my expectations by working diligently over the years to make this publication into what it is. The words of Anatole France express my personal feelings as the torch of the Journal of Housing for the Elderly is now passed to my successor: “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”

Benyamin Schwarz Architectural Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA [email protected]

Looking ahead

The Journal of Housing for the Elderly has been a major platform for disseminating cutting-edge international research on housing for older adults for several decades, starting with the first issue appearing in 1983. This is the first journal that not only provided a venue for publication of research on housing for older adults, informing our theoretical understanding, empirical evidence, and public policy, but also raised the profile of the physical and social environments’ role in older adults’ quality of life, health, and well-being. Based on a social ecological approach, the journal’s scope has recognized the salience of older people’s residential physical setting and social context, and the interrelationship of the person–environment interaction.

It is a distinct honor and privilege for me to take on the editorial reins of this widely read and impactful journal from distinguished predecessors. On behalf of the academic, professional, and policy communities in the field of older adults’ housing, and more broadly from the environment–behavior research community, I sincerely express heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Benyamin Schwarz for serving as the editor of this journal for nearly two decades. Under his highly committed editorial tenure, the journal has established itself as the major publication venue in this field. This is the place to go for innovative, impactful, and high-quality research in housing for older adults. Beyond the regular issues, there have been numerous special issues published over the years highlighting critical topics that warranted in-depth focus and higher visibility. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the vision and dedication of the first editor and founder of this journal, Dr. Leon Pastalan. His legacy in showcasing scholarship in this area has supported generations of researchers in publishing their work in an identifiable academic journal in this research area.

Over the years, beyond the core focus on community-based housing, the evolution of this journal has rightly supported publication of research in related geographic contexts and setting types, such as neighborhood and urban environments, independent living, supportive housing, assisted living, innovative housing and services, long-term care, and hospice. This broadening of the original scope of the journal has made the publication more relevant for the research community and effective for policy and practice areas. In addition to the critical role of community-based housing in older adults’ lives, the increasing recognition of the importance of the neighborhood and community environment, growth of various housing options along with a myriad of support services, innovation on long-term care toward more community-based household and social models—all have found their place in the Journal of Housing for the Elderly. In recognition of the reality of the broader scope of this journal, it is changing its name to the Journal of Aging and Environment with this first issue of 2020.

There are two main reasons to change the name of this journal. First, historically, this journal’s original scope was to focus on housing/residential environments for older adults. The natural evolution in the journal’s scope mirrored the emergence of new settings or facility types for older adults in our cities and neighborhoods, as well as greater attention by scholars and researchers to conduct studies on setting types that were largely ignored. Given this context, the title with a focus on housing is limiting and inaccurate. Second, the term elderly is problematic, with its connotations of a dependent and passive population group. For the last several years, the academic field addressing research on an older population has used terms such as older adult, aging, or gerontology. Most journals on social–psychological aspects of gerontology use the term aging in their titles. The term aging is more inclusive and more widely accepted instead of elderly, and it also recognizes the human aging process beyond issues relevant to older adults per se. Given these two primary reasons, changing the name of this journal is necessary and timely. We believe that the new name will appeal to a wider audience in the research community for submission of manuscripts and to the students and scholars in the social and health science disciplines as they search for publications in this area.

I would like to express sincere gratitude to the editorial board and the reviewers of this journal, who play a critical role in the continued success of the journal. Your time, energy, and overall commitment are very much appreciated. Please reach out to me if you would like to share your guidance and/or thoughts in further improving the rigor and impact of this journal. Finally, a big thank-you to our colleagues at Taylor & Francis Group in the offices of online submission, proofreading, managing editor, and production editor. Production of a journal is indeed a team effort, and we are grateful to everyone involved in various stages of the process. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming months.