Embodying positive aging and neoliberal rationality: Talking about the aging body within narratives of retirement

‘No, My Husband Isn’t Dead, [But] One Has to Re-Invent Sexuality’: Reading Erica Jong for the Future of Aging

“…Originating in the US in the second half of the 20th century as a positive model to measure life satisfaction, the concept of successful aging was aimed to replace negative constructions of aging and old age by emphasizing positive aspects of the process of growing older [5]. Accordingly, the perception of old age has shifted focus from a stage marked by loss, frailty, or decay, as it is the case in the narrative of decline [7], to become an enriching period in life that opens up a rainbow of possibilities, among them being active sexual lives, anti-aging ideals, and healthy lifestyles [5,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Stephen Katz observes that the successful aging discourse is so integrated in the measurement of the well-being and life satisfaction of older adults, as well as the current sociocultural understanding of the process of aging, that its questioning "would be considered unprofessional, if not heretical" ( [9], p. 135).…”

The making of ageing-in-place

“…The notion of citizenship is obviously changing, as ideas of individualisation, responsibilisation and participation recur in a variety of studies (e.g. Rudman 2015). Ongoing debates on the role of discretionary space and other new technologies in the development of professional work only reinforce the importance of studying this field (Broadhurst et al 2010;Evans 2011;Høybye-Mortensen 2015;Kruiter, Bredewold and Ham 2016).…”

“…Participation is an important element within these developments. Governments promote deinstitutionalisation, and to achieve this they do not only emphasise individuals' own responsibilities for their health and well-being, but also aim to activate people to help each other (Rudman 2015;. Increasing people's options to remain living in their own place independently for longer are part of such individualisation strategies.…”

“…The Dutch national government is emphasising a need to shift from being a welfare society towards becoming a participatory society. Where participatory democracies encourage the democratic participation of citizens, a participatory society builds on neoliberal agendas that emphasise individuals' own responsibilities for their health and well-being, and an activation of people to help each other Rudman 2015). As part of these neoliberal agendas, an increasing amount of governmental and institutional responsibilities are being shifted to individuals (Dunn 2005).…”

“…Ageing-in-place, which is preferred by most older people and in policy, is defined as the ideal that people remain in their own homes and neighbourhoods for as long as possible, with some support if necessary . Many policymakers also favour ageing-in-place because of its role in delaying or even avoiding institutional care, which they think is needed to curb increasing healthcare costs caused by ageing populations Rudman 2015). To enable ageing-in-place, new ageing policies are developed to increase older people's independence and autonomy by encouraging people's own abilities (empowerment), the use of social support (their informal network) and assistive technologies.…”