Canadians aged 65 and older want to decide where they live and most prefer that place to be their current home. The concept of an older adult aging in the place of their choosing emphasizes that preference. Preference, however, does not guarantee that aging in that place will be possible. Feasibility depends on an older person’s circumstances and supports available where they live. John Amagoalik’s story illustrates the gap between preference and possibility when it comes to aging in place of choice. A lifelong advocate for Inuit self-determination and one of the key figures behind the creation of Nunavut, Amagoalik recently spent 16 months in an assisted-living facility in Ottawa after an infection resulted in the amputation of part of his leg. Being more than 2,000 kilometres from Iqaluit, Amagoalik told the CBC, “The worst part was the loneliness.” Friends eventually helped arrange the housing and care that has allowed him to return to his home for now.Although Amagoalik’s circumstances are particular to Nunavut, where some elders must leave the territory to access specialized services not available closer to home, his story raises a question relevant across Canada: What does it mean to say older persons have a choice about where they age if the supports they need are not available where they want to live?What determines where people ageAs occupational therapists and rehabilitation scientists, our research explores how engagement in everyday activities contributes to health and well-being in later life. Our work has led us to recognize that where people age is shaped not only by their preferences but also by their circumstances and supports around them. For us, this research is also personal. Our mothers continue to live independently, and both chose to move closer to family. Like many with aging parents, we think about what will allow them to continue doing so if their health, mobility or circumstances change.Having a choice about where one lives as one grows older requires realistic options. Rural communities can offer strong social connections and a sense of belonging, but as needs change, limited access to transportation, affordable and accessible housing, and other health and social services may constrain people’s ability to remain in the place they call home. Rural aging and mobilityResearch on rural aging has described a related tension between “aging in place” and being “stuck in place.” Remaining somewhere does not necessarily mean an older person had a meaningful choice to do so.Transportation provides a good example. Our research with older persons living in rural areas and small towns around Hamilton, Ont., identified considerable reliance on personal vehicles. If few alternatives exist, losing the ability to drive can mean losing access not only to medical appointments and groceries, but also to activities and relationships outside the home. Mobility, after all, is about much more than getting from one place to another. Being able to get around allows us to see friends and family, volunteer, exercise or simply participate in everyday activities that make life meaningful. However, what happens when driving is no longer possible and there is no realistic alternative? If managing your current home becomes difficult, is there help or a suitable and affordable option nearby? Can needed services be accessed without leaving your community?These questions also make us think differently about risk.Risk and what mattersFamilies and health professionals understandably worry about falls, driving safety or whether an older adult can live at home alone. While those risks matter, our research has identified that focusing too much on physical safety can sometimes overshadow what older people themselves value when decisions are being made about where and how they will live.Stopping driving may reduce one kind of risk while increasing risks of isolation and loss of meaningful activities. Moving somewhere with more services may make some aspects of life easier or safer but moving away from neighbours, relationships and a place we call home has consequences for well-being.A home that no longer meets an older person’s needs can carry risk, but so can leaving it. Supporting real choicePlanning ahead for mobility changes matters but so do housing, relationships, finances and ensuring support is available. However, people cannot plan around options that do not exist. Supporting real choice about aging in place also means asking: Can older community residents get where they need and want to go? Are housing, health and social supports accessible where people live? When those supports are not available, who fills the gaps?Families, friends and neighbours provide extraordinary support and can expand an older person’s choices but should not be the only infrastructure upon which aging at home depends. Aging in a place of choice cannot simply mean asking older people where they want to live. Communities and governments must ensure people have meaningful and realistic options as their health, mobility and circumstances change. Choice only means something when there are real options.Brenda Vrkljan receives or has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation Road Safety Research Partnership Program, and AGE-WELL, a federally-funded Networks of Centres of Excellence program.Evelyne Durocher receives or has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Canadian Occupational Therapy Federation and the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada.