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Literature / the internet
One looked for relevant literature. In the library scientific journals could be consulted.
Policy reports were downloaded form the internet. Websites provided by research institutions often offer short descriptions of publications. Associations for the older people often have practical literature on housing.

A reading list was made containing books, magazines, articles, etc., which made it possible to divide the information that was to be explored and enabled the participants to inform each other.

Literature not enough to go by.
However just literature was not enough for the participants. At first both written and digital information did not contribute very much to finding the right direction for the research. One decided to consult a number of experts to establish what information was really essential.

Interviews with experts.
 

People from the area of senior citizens and housing.
Many experts have been consulted; managers of care providing housing associations, representatives of local council and province.
A visit had been paid to the Foundation for Welfare of the Elderly Arnhem, a municipal organisation which was founded to improve the welfare of the elderly in Arnhem.

We also paid visits to the management of housing associations, these are organisations which are responsible for the execution of Dutch government housing policy and for building and letting houses in the lower rent range.

The gerontologist as field specialist.
A visit to a gerontologist of the Catholic University of Nijmegen showed the participants that searching for the explanation of emotional motives would not contribute to a better conception of decision making.
Her advise was to accept these factors as a given fact. It would be much more practical to search for useful tools to enable the elderly to judge their living-conditions adequately. A thorough assets and liabilities analysis as to their present living-conditions and those of the possible future.

Figure 6. Interviewing empirical experts.

Empirical experts.
The group of empirical experts were very important. Older people who had moved within the past two years. The experiences of these elderly clearly indicated the bottlenecks within decision making.

Consider consulting a field specialist.
If necessary a field specialist will provide help in limiting the theme, especially when
one seems to go astray.

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