Healthy ageing and home: The perspectives of very old people in five European countries

Abstract

This paper reports on in-depth research, using a grounded theory approach, to examine the ways in which very old people perceive healthy ageing in the context of living alone at home within urban settings in five European countries. This qualitative study was part of a cross-national project entitled ENABLE-AGE which examined the relationship between home and healthy ageing. Interviews explored the notion of healthy ageing, the meaning and importance of home, conceptualisations of independence and autonomy and links between healthy ageing and home. Data analysis identified five ways in which older people constructed healthy ageing: home and keeping active; elsevier_SSM_9267 managing lifestyles, health and illness; balancing social life; and balancing material and financial circumstances. Older people reflected on their everyday lives at home in terms of being engaged in purposeful, meaningful action and evaluated healthy ageing in relation to the symbolic and practical affordances of the home, contextualised within constructions of their national context. The research suggests that older people perceive healthy ageing as an active achievement, created through individual, personal effort and supported through social ties despite the health, financial and social decline associated with growing older. The physicality and spatiality of home provided the context for establishing and evaluating the notion of healthy ageing, whilst the experienced relationship between home, life history and identity created a meaningful space within which healthy ageing was negotiated.

Healthy aging from the perspective of the elderly: an integrative review

“…The elderly perceive healthy aging as the adoption of habits and behaviors inherent to lifestyle, with emphasis on healthy eating 11,13,14,18,[19][20][21] , physical activities [13][14][15]18,[20][21] , and not smoking or drinking alcohol 13,14,18,20,21 . These habits and behaviors are protective factors and help control chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) 22 , …”

“…This involves performing routine medical check-ups, examinations, vaccinations 13 and managing diseases efficiently 11,18 . However, they did not associate healthy aging with disease [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][19][20][21] .…”

“…For these individuals, relating socially 11,13,16,21 , with the family 12,15,[19][20][21] , friends 12,14,19 , or with a partner 12 or engaging in collective leisure activities 13 are ingredients for healthy aging.…”

“…Autonomy is the ability to act and take decisions 13 while independence is the ability to perform activities without the help of other people. In this sense, the studies reviewed related autonomy to financial security 11,12,14 , which has also been found to be a component of healthy aging 3 . In Brazil, the National Policy for the Health of the Elderly states that income contributes to the health of the elderly, demonstrating that being healthy should include financial independence, physical health, mental health, functional capacity and social support 37 .…”

“…Independence for the elderly involves caring for oneself 15,16 and for others 13 , enjoying activities 13,16 and home management 14 . Elderly persons with multiple sclerosis connected the environment with independence when they noted the need to adapt the environment in which they lived to be able to live independently 11 .…”