Engaging With Aging: A Qualitative Study of Age-Related Changes and Adaptations

Abstract

Background and Objectives In the context of global aging, there is a need to better understand how older adults adapt to their changing health status. Engaging with Aging (EWA) is an emerging framework proposed by Carnevali which provides a new lens to understand an active, conscious daily living process of managing age-related changes (ARCs) taken on by older adults. Study aims were to 1) describe the ARCs experienced by community-dwelling older adults; and 2) identify the strategies and resources used by older adults to accommodate the daily living challenges caused by the associated ARCs. Research Design and Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews using a virtual card sort to gather qualitative data about ARCs and strategies to manage ARCs. Interviews were conducted virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. Results Participants included 19 females and 10 males. The mean age was 77.45 years old (range from 64 to 98). Sixteen ARCs (e.g., changes in hearing, changes in stability, changes in sleep, etc.) were mentioned by participants, and their corresponding adaptations were discussed. Participants linked their adaptations to their ARCs based on their changing capacities and needs. Examples of commonly used adaptations included, for example, conserving energy, utilizing tools or technology, and being more conscious before and while taking actions. The challenges caused by COVID-19 in implementing the adaptations were also discussed. Discussion and Implications Findings from this study demonstrate how older adults explore, generate, and utilize adaptive behaviors to address their ARCS. This study substantiates the EWA framework by showing common patterns among older adults in linking ARCs with adaptations. Implications for clinicians include using EWA to help older adults identify personalized health solutions that fit their capacities. Researchers may use EWA to design and test interventions by considering the specific ARCs older adults encounter and the attitudes they hold towards the ARCs.

Urinary concerns among older adults: a qualitative analysis in the context of healthy aging

“…In a primary study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 older adults in order to describe and understand age-related changes and corresponding adaptations [ 13 ]. The interviews were conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…Inclusion criteria were as follows: age 60 and older, independence in performing activities of daily living, ability to read and speak English, and access to the internet. Details of participants’ characteristics and recruitment strategies can be found in our prior publication [ 13 ]. Urinary concerns were mentioned in 15 of 29 interviews.…”

“…Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were imported into ATLAS.ti 23 software to aid qualitative analysis. As the first step of content analysis [ 16 , 17 ], we created an initial codebook based on a priori themes derived from the EWA framework [ 3 ], prior analysis of the EWA blog [ 11 ], a previous publication [ 13 ], and initial codes of a sample interview transcript that all team members coded independently. All team members reviewed annotations, reconciled coding discrepancies, identified themes, and finalized an initial version of the codebook.…”

“…EWA provides a perspective on the aging process as an active, conscious effort by older adults to manage age-related changes such as urinary concerns in their daily lives [ 3 , 12 ]. Despite the value of EWA in studying the daily lives of older adults, only one empirical study has been conducted using EWA as the guiding framework [ 13 ]. Specifically, EWA was used to describe the patterns of how older adults adapt to various ARCs in general, but has not been used to focus on any specific type of ARC such as urinary concerns.…”

Nursing Science Interventions in Aging

“… Happ (2022) provides commentary on the considerations when implementing a complex intervention and implementation science. Ge et al (2022) describe the Engaging with Aging framework to help understand the daily living process for older adults who are managing age-related changes (ARCs). The study supports use of the framework to understand how and why older adults use adaptative behaviors to address ARCs and may be used to help guide precision medicine in the future.…”