Risk time framing for wellbeing in older people: a multi-national appreciative inquiry

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of older people and their sense of developing wellbeing, including consideration of the strategies they employ to respond to perceived risk. Design/methodology/approach An Appreciative Inquiry study was used, which collected data with 58 participants in focus group and individual interviews. Interviews focussed on ways in which older people in South Africa, Australia, Germany and the UK understand and seek to maintain wellbeing. Findings The changing time horizons of older people lead to perceptions of risk and concerns that embrace societal as well as individual concerns. Often, this leads to a sense of societal responsibility and desire for social change, which is frustrated by a perceived exclusion from participation in society. Social implications In mental health practice and education, it is imperative to embrace the shift from ageist concerns (with later life viewed as risky and tragic in itself) towards a greater sensitivity for older people’s resilience, the strategies they deploy to maintain this, and their desire for more control and respect for their potential to contribute to society. Originality/value Variation in time horizons leads to changes in temporal accounting, which may be under-utilised by society. Consequently, societies may not recognise and support the resilience of older people to the detriment of older people as individuals and to the wider society.

Vulnerable, recalcitrant and resilient: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of risk and older people within the context of COVID-19 news media

“…Risk can be an important aspect in shaping quality of life in old age (Powell et al, 2007) and is essential for developing resilience (Clarke et al, 2017). When others take on the role of risk management based purely on chronological age, there is a failure to acknowledge an individual's resilience acquired over a lifetime and a lack of appreciation for older peoples' varied experiences with adversity (Clarke et al, 2017). Indeed, in the time of COVID-19, classifying older people as high risk based on chronological age alone has been critiqued as being ageist and overly simplistic (Rahman and Jahan, 2020).…”

“…Despite differences in defining risk, current attitudes support the notion that risk is to be avoided wherever possible (Zinn, 2015). However, engaging in activities that carry some potential for risk has been found to provide personal growth opportunities and enhance quality of life and wellbeing (Clarke et al, 2017). Despite the benefits, the potential for positive outcomes can be overlooked in favour of avoidance of risk due to perceived resultant harm (Dennhardt and Laliberte Rudman, 2012;Clarke and Mantle, 2016).…”