Perceived personal deadlines for late-life preparation across adulthood

Throughout adulthood, individuals follow personal timetables of deadlines that shape the course of aging. We examine 6-year-longitudinal data of perceived personal deadlines for starting with late-life preparation across adulthood. Findings are based on a sample of 518 adults between 18 and 88 years of age. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to explore changes in personal deadlines for preparation in five domains (i.e., finances, end of life, housing, social connectedness, caregiving) in relation to calendar age, self-rated health, subjective position in life, and sociodemographic variables. Findings suggest that personal deadlines for starting preparatory activities differ depending on calendar age and domain of late-life preparation. Older adults as compared to younger adults are likely to report narrower deadlines for beginning with late-life preparation. Perceived deadlines for late-life preparation were furthermore found to be preponed and slightly dilated over time. Findings suggest that depending on age-graded opportunity structures, individuals flexibly adjust their personal deadlines for late-life preparation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10433-020-00581-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.