Negotiating the challenges of aging as a British migrant in Spain.

Abstract

Abstract. There has been a proliferation of research on lifestyle migration, including studies of older people who move from Northern to Southern European countries in retirement. This body of research has generally focused on so-called third-age retirees, who exercise mobility to improve their quality of life and to achieve optimal aging. These healthy and active migrants have yet to face the challenges associated with the fourth age. This paper focuses on how retirees in both the third and fourth ages of life experience and exercise mobility, and how some experience the transition from young old to old old age in Spain. While the third age is characterized by new opportunities and activities, the fourth age is a time of decreasing mobility, dependence, and bodily decline. We bring together narrative interview data from two separate studies undertaken with older British people in Spain to examine three main issues: how the experiences and identities of retired migrants change in response to the aging bod...