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The Meaning of Home for Older Women in Rural Australia
Author(s) -
Gattuso S.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
australian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 0726-4240
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.1996.tb00024.x
Subject(s) - social connectedness , meaning (existential) , sociology , gender studies , identity (music) , power (physics) , perspective (graphical) , gerontology , psychology , social psychology , medicine , aesthetics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , computer science , psychotherapist
Policies targeting community care of older people in Australia are predicated partly on the belief that home is a place of particular meaning to them. This research examines the meaning of home for older women living in the community in rural Australia. A life historical perspective is taken on the assumption that the significance of home is located in a network of meanings constructed over the lifetime of women interviewed. It is claimed that home and identity for these women are integrally linked. Home is a locus for experiencing power over the environment and connection with others in real and symbolic ways. The experience and expression of power and connectedness is modulated by marital status, living arrangement and physical location .