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Successful ageing by whose definition? Views of older, spiritually affiliated women
Author(s) -
McCann Mortimer Patricia,
Ward Lynn,
Winefield Helen
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2008.00305.x
Subject(s) - rowe , autonomy , thematic analysis , snowball sampling , quality of life (healthcare) , interpretative phenomenological analysis , gerontology , psychology , sense of agency , older people , agency (philosophy) , qualitative research , social psychology , medicine , sociology , psychotherapist , social science , pathology , marketing , political science , law , business
Objectives: Researchers have pointed to significant omissions in Rowe and Kahn's model of successful ageing and their lack of consultation with older people. This study examined late mid‐life and older women's views of successful ageing.Methods: In‐depth interviews were conducted with 14 women aged 60–89 years. Participants who identified themselves as spiritual and religious, or spiritual only and not religious, were recruited using the ‘snowball technique’. Thematic analyses were conducted within an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis framework.Results: Participants described multiple dimensions of successful ageing with 15 subthemes grouped into three overarching categories of personal agency, social value and quality of life/quality of death.Conclusions: Participants’ multidimensional views of successful ageing were broader than Rowe and Kahn's model and included the need to have a degree of autonomy over the place and manner of the last phase of life and final days (successful dying).