seven - Destinations and directions

Summary

To feel what it means to be old is to understand ageing from a completely different perspective and to be forever changed by that understanding. (R. Ray, 2007, p 63)

In Chapter Six I sought to integrate understanding derived from the analysis presented in Chapters Three, Four and Five. The chapter argued that the themes of ‘keeping going’, ‘staying me’ and ‘the slippery slope’ were related to a broader overarching theme of sustaining the self, examining this in the context of related research and theoretical perspectives. By exploring the wider meaning of the study findings, I thus began to address the question, ‘What is to be made of it all?’ (Wolcott, 1994).

This final chapter draws out the significance of the issues highlighted in the previous chapters for social care policy and practice. In particular, it considers how positive experiences of ageing can be promoted in two key areas: sustaining selfhood and creating a supportive social environment. Since the book's central thread is one small-scale research study, the chapter begins with brief critical reflections on this study.

Critique of methodology and process

There are a number of limitations and issues concerning the methodology and process of the study that need to be considered. First, the experiences and perspectives cited are those of 12 older people who were all of white UK ethnic origin. In Chapter Six I discussed the significance of dominant social and cultural values in shaping individual interpretations and behaviour. The particular values highlighted as significant in the study were those of independence and self-reliance, which are essentially western values. Cross-cultural studies suggest that there is a high degree of cultural specificity about constructions of activity, autonomy and successful ageing (Estes et al, 2003). Other themes, for example, faith and spirituality, might have had more prominence with a more ethnically diverse sample (Maynard et al, 2008). In addition, evidence of ethnic inequalities in economic and health status (Nazroo et al, 2004), and the significance of experiences of racism for black older people (Butt and Moriarty, 2004), suggests that the specific threats identified in ‘the slippery slope’ theme would have been different with a sample that included older people from minority ethnic groups. No assumptions can therefore be made about the wider validity of the more detailed categories and concepts discussed.