The authors effectively used several methods to introduce queer counter-narratives, thereby questioning the established norms surrounding successful aging. The norms governing the stability and reinforcement of sexual and gender identities were made fluid by their actions. Their challenge targeted the existing methods of LGBTQ activism. Ageing was embraced and celebrated, exemplified by croning ceremonies, alongside a direct contemplation of death. To conclude, they twisted the narrative structure, using personal accounts that were often tinged with dreamy imagery, poetic expression, or a lack of decisive resolution. Progressing a more inclusive reimagining of successful aging is aided by the valuable resources inherent in counter-normative spaces, such as activist newsletters.
Home care for older adults with dementia is largely provided by their loved ones and family members. The progressive decline in memory and other cognitive functions is predicted to correlate with increased interactions between patients with dementia and the healthcare system. Immunochromatographic assay Care transitions underscore pivotal moments in the lives of elderly individuals, impacting family caregivers with significant and widespread changes. Consequently, a more thorough understanding of the intricate social activities undertaken by individuals with dementia and their family caregivers in response to care transitions is needed. The research project, using a constructivist grounded theory design, took place in Canada from 2019 through 2021. Among the 25 participants in the 20 interviews, there were 4 people living with dementia and 21 caregivers. We present six data-driven concepts, linked to a central process experienced by participants during and after their care transition, emphasizing the daily realities encountered. This study contributes significantly to the theoretical understanding of care transitions by explicitly detailing the observable work of patient-caregiver dyads throughout the process, and by providing insights into the ongoing processes and challenges caregivers face as they navigate health and social care systems for their family members living with dementia. As care shifts, and moving forward, the caregiver is obligated to integrate and interpret the fragmented pieces of the process. infection (gastroenterology) Though fraught with traumatic and demanding situations, the caring experience nonetheless fosters in many caregivers a resilience that allows them to reconcile their pain with the desire to help their family member and others facing similar trials. This theoretical framework serves as a basis for developing interventions that address the needs of the patient-caregiver dyad during care transitions.
This research seeks to understand the experiences of becoming and being frail in older adults residing at home, by exploring their life stories from the present, past, and future. Interviews with three frail home-dwelling older adults, identified by home care services, form the basis of this article's dialogical narrative analysis. A series of three interviews, taking eight months to complete, was carried out with each participant. Our results highlight that while some senior citizens perceive frailty as inherent and unyielding, others experience it as a stage of change and adaptation. Certain individuals portrayed frailty as an all-encompassing condition, in contrast to others who narrated their experience in a more situational and transitional manner. The option of living in one's home was profoundly significant, although transferring to a nursing home frequently led to an increase in fragility and the weakening of close ties with family members and their residence. Frailty's experiences were structured and influenced by the past, present, and the anticipated future. In the accounts of the older adults, faith, fate, and their past resilience in the face of adversity were paramount. Stories from the elderly unveil the multifaceted and ever-changing nature of living with frailty. Through narratives encompassing the past, present, and future, senior citizens can preserve their sense of self, connection, and equilibrium in the face of life's challenges. Healthcare and care professionals can empower older adults through exploration of their life stories, enabling them to embrace the ongoing process of recognizing and accepting their transition to becoming 'frail older adults'.
The images of advanced age are deeply shaped by the realities of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, which serve as a significant foundation for anxieties about growing old. The influences of dementia and Alzheimer's disease on the narratives concerning aging and future expectations and worries of older adults (65+) living in the Czech Republic are examined in this study, drawing upon twenty-five in-depth interviews. The narratives of participants regarding Alzheimer's anxieties and the integration of the disease's risk into their perception of aging demonstrated three distinct approaches. 1) Dementia as a present, immediate threat; 2) dementia as a symbol of the culmination of old age, and 3) dementia as a future, but not personal, concern. Discriminating features of these strategies include divergent assessments of dementia risk, distinct responses of anxiety concerning future expectations, and differing roles of dementia in characterizing undesirable aspects of old age. Medical screening and information-seeking strategies employed by participants were diversified by the conflicting understandings of dementia, either as a specific medical condition or an indicator of dependency in advanced age.
Worldwide, the lives of people in all walks of life were profoundly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions. During the UK's first national lockdown in 2020, a critical instruction to remain within their homes was issued to older adults (70 years or older), perceiving them to be more susceptible to serious COVID-19 infection than other age groups. The COVID-19 lockdown's impact on the lives of older adults within care housing schemes is explored in this paper. The study examines the consequences of lockdown on the social lives and general well-being of scheme residents, while focusing on how it impacted interpersonal relationships. Longitudinal and cross-sectional interviews with 72 residents across 26 housing with care schemes form the basis of these presented qualitative findings. Using a thematic framework, the analysis explored the experiences of individuals living in care housing schemes during the 2020 UK lockdown. The paper scrutinizes the negative effects of COVID-19 restrictions on social ties and interactions of older residents in care homes, and their associated feelings of independence and autonomy. Residents, though facing self-isolation mandates, adapted and found ways to maintain social engagement with others, both within and beyond the community. Providers of housing for older adults struggled to foster residents' autonomy and community spirit while simultaneously ensuring a safe environment and preventing COVID-19. learn more Our findings have relevance not solely for pandemic contexts, but also for understanding the intricate interplay of autonomy and support needed in housing solutions for older adults.
Research, care, and support for individuals with Alzheimer's and related dementias are increasingly being guided by a rising call for strengths-based approaches. Person-centered interventions contribute to a positive global quality of life; however, many promising approaches remain hampered by the absence of sufficiently sensitive strengths-based assessments to document the relevant outcomes. A person-focused instrument development method, human-centered design, offers innovative solutions. A human-centered design research approach is presented in this paper, and it articulates the ethical principles central to implementing this design in the context of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Engaging persons with dementia and their care providers as members of the design team provides valuable perspectives, albeit requiring a significant dedication to inclusivity, transparency, and patient-focused ethics.
Through serial storytelling's profound narrative potential, and its ability to engage a sizable audience while mirroring evolving social patterns, television series serve as a significant cultural arena for exploring the human experience of aging within a temporal context. The enduring popularity of Netflix's Grace and Frankie (2015-2022), its longest-running TV series, lies in its masterful representation of aging and friendship within the domain of popular culture. In contemporary America, the television program follows the compelling narratives of Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin), two female friends who were recently divorced, and both are over the age of seventy. The program, inspired by the remarkable performances of Fonda and Tomlin, presents a positive and optimistic narrative concerning the new experiences and opportunities that emerge in the golden years of life. This optimism, while seemingly positive towards aging, is subtly ambivalent, rooted in the neoliberal re-framing of aging within American and other Western contexts. Analyzing the show's portrayal of friendship, entrepreneurship, the aging woman's body and sexuality, and care, we find its optimism grounded in the creation of neoliberal, successful aging subjects in the two main characters. This contrasts with the 'fourth age,' a 'black hole' of aging, where bodily failure, vulnerability, and dependency are central (Higgs & Gilleard, 2015, 16). Despite the show's focused consideration of the aging body, which may hold a certain relevance for older viewers, its characterization of the fourth age ultimately mirrors and intensifies existing cultural anxieties. Ultimately, the show introduces the fourth age solely to reaffirm the two main characters' proven abilities as successful elders.
In many clinical situations, magnetic resonance imaging is now the primary imaging modality.