Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T09:42:03.960Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

“Why would I want to go out?”: Age-related Vision Loss and Social Participation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2016

Debbie Laliberte Rudman*
Affiliation:
School of Occupational Therapy & Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario
Deborah Gold
Affiliation:
Research and Program Development, CNIB
Colleen McGrath
Affiliation:
School of Occupational Therapy & Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario
Biljana Zuvela
Affiliation:
Research, Public Policy and Evaluation, United Way of Greater Toronto
Marlee M. Spafford
Affiliation:
School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo
Rebecca Renwick
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
*
La correspondance et les demandes de tire-à-part doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Debbie Laliberte Rudman School of Occupational Therapy & Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences The University of Western Ontario Elborn College 1201 Western Road London, ON N6G 1H1 ([email protected])

Abstract

Social participation, a key determinant of healthy aging, is often negatively impacted by age-related vision loss (ARVL). This grounded theory study aimed to understand social participation as a process negotiated in everyday life by older adults with ARVL. Interviews, audio diaries, and life space maps were used to collect data with 21 older adults in two Ontario cities. Inductive data analysis resulted in a transactional model of the process of negotiating social participation in context. This model depicts how environmental features and resources, skills and abilities, and risks and vulnerabilities transacted with values and priorities to affect if and how social participation occurred within the context of daily life. The findings point to several ways that research and services addressing the social participation of older adults with ARVL need to expand, particularly in relation to environmental features and resources, risk, and the prioritization of independence.

Résumé

La participation sociale, un élément déterminant du vieillissement en santé, est souvent liée négativement par une perte de vision à l’âge (PVA). Cette étude de théorie ancrée visait à comprendre la participation sociale comme un processus négocié dans la vie quotidienne par les adultes âgés souffrant de PVA. Les entrevues, les agendas audio et les cartes de la vie-espace ont servi à recueillir des données avec 21 aînés dans deux villes de l’Ontario. Les données, qui ont été analysées par induction, ont indiqué un modèle transactionnel du processus de négocier la participation sociale dans le contexte. Ce modèle illustre comment les caractéristiques et les ressources de l’environnement, les compétences et les habiletés, et les risques et les vulnérabilités interagissent avec les valeurs et les priorités d’affecter si et comment la participation sociale s’est produite dans le cadre de la vie quotidienne. Les conclusions soulignent plusieurs façons dont la recherche et les services s’adressant à la participation sociale des personnes âgées qui donnent signe de souffrir de la PVA ont besoin de développer, en particulier en ce qui concerne les caractéristiques de l’environnement et les ressources, le risque, et la priorisation de l’indépendance.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ballinger, C., & Payne, S. (2002). The construction of risk of falling among and by older people. Ageing and Society, 22, 305324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bornat, J., & Bytheway, B. (2010). Perceptions and presentations of living with everyday risk in later life. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 11181134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charmaz, C. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Charmaz, K. (2003). Grounded theory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. In Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.), Strategies of qualitative inquiry (2nd ed.) (pp. 249291). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Crews, J., & Campbell, V. A. (2004). Vision impairment and hearing loss among community-dwelling older Americans: Implications for health and functioning. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 823829.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cutchin, M. P., & Dickie, V. A. (2013). Transactional perspectives on occupation: An introduction and rationale. In Cutchin, M. P. & Dickie, V. A. (Eds.), Transactional perspectives on occupation (pp. 112). London, ENG: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahan-Oliel, N., Mazer, B., Gelinas, I., Dobbs, B., & Lefebrve, H. (2010). Transportation use in community-dwelling older adults: Association with participation and leisure activities. Canadian Journal on Aging, 29, 491502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Desrosiers, J., Wanet-Defalque, M. C., Témisjian, K., Gresset, J., Dubois, M. F., Renaud, J., … Overbury, O. (2009). Participation in daily activities and social roles of older adults with visual impairment. Disability & Rehabilitation, 31, 12271234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Estes, C., & Wallace, S. (2010). Globalization, social policy and aging: A North American perspective. In Phillipson, D. D. C. (Ed.), The Sage handbook of social gerontology (pp. 513525). London, ENG: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fougeyrollas, P., Noreau, L., & Boshen, K. A. (2002). Interaction of environment with individual characteristics and social participation: Theoretical perspectives and applications in persons with spinal cord injury. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 7, 116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Girdler, S., Packer, T. L., & Boldy, D. (2008). The impact of age-related vision loss. OTJR: Participation and Health, 28, 110120.Google Scholar
Glass, T. A., De Leon, C. F. M., Bassuk, S. S., & Berkman, L. F. (2006). Social engagement and depressive symptoms in late life longitudinal findings. Journal of Aging and Health, 18, 604628.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gold, D., Zuvela, B., & Hodge, W. (2006). Perspectives on low vision service in Canada: A pilot study. Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology, 41, 348354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grenier, A. (2005). The contextual and social locations of older women’s experiences of disability and decline. Journal of Aging Studies, 19, 131146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huot, S., & Rudman, D. L. (2015). Extending beyond qualitative interviewing to illuminate the tacit nature of everyday occupation: Occupational mapping and participatory occupation methods. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 45, 2733.Google Scholar
Jutai, J., Hooper, P., Strong, G., Cooper, L., Hutnik, C., Sheidow, T., … Russell-Minda, E. (2006). Vision rehabilitation evidence-based review (VREBR). Toronto, ON: CNIB Baker Foundation for Vision Research.Google Scholar
Leone, T., & Hessel, P. (2016). The effect of social participation on the subjective and objective health status of the over-fifties: Evidence from SHARE. Ageing & Society, 36, 968987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levasseur, M., Richard, L., Gauvin, L., & Raymond, E. (2010). Inventory and analysis of definitions of social participation found in the aging literature: Proposed taxonomy of social activities. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 21412149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lord, S. R., & Dayhew, J. (2001). Visual risk factors for falls in older people. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 508515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovie-Kitchin, J. E., Soong, G. P., Hassan, S. E., & Woods, R. L. (2010). Visual field size criteria for mobility rehabilitation referral. Optometry & Vision Science, 87, E948E957.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lui, C. W., Everingham, J. A., Warburton, J., Cuthill, M., & Bartlett, H. (2009). What makes a community age-friendly: A review of international literature. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 28, 116121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacLachlan, J., Rudman, D. L., & Klinger, L. (2007). Low vision: A preliminary exploration of its impact on the daily lives of older women and perceived constraints to service use. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 26, 4362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGrath, C. E., & Rudman, D. L. (2013). Factors that influence the occupational engagement of older adults with low vision: A scoping review. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76, 234241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menec, V. H. (2003). The relation between everyday activities and successful aging: A 6-year longitudinal study. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58, S74S82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menec, V., Means, R., Keating, N., Parkhurst, G., & Eales, J. (2011). Conceptualizing age friendly communities. Canadian Journal on Aging, 30, 479493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mojon-Azzi, S. M., Sousa-Poza, A., & Mojon, D. S. (2008). Impact of low vision on well-being in 10 European countries. Ophthalmologica, 222, 205212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moody, E., & Phinney, A. (2012). A community-engaged art program for older people: Fostering social inclusion. Canadian Journal on Aging, 31(1), 5564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nayar, S. (2015). Grounded theory: Uncovering a world of process. In Nayar, S. & Stanley, M. (Eds.), Qualitative research methodologies for occupational science and therapy (pp. 3752). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Papadopoulos, I., & Scanlon, K. (2002). The use of audio diaries in a study with visually impaired people. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 96, 456459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plouffe, L., & Kalache, A. (2010). Towards global age-friendly cities: Determining urban features that promote active aging. Journal of Urban Health, 87, 733739.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ramulu, P. Y., van Landingham, S. W., Massof, R. W., Chan, E. S., Ferrucci, L., & Friedman, D. S. (2012). Fear of falling and visual field loss from glaucoma. Ophthalmology, 119, 13521358.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raymond, E., & Grenier, A. (2013). Participation in policy discourse: New form of exclusion for seniors with disabilities? Canadian Journal on Aging, 32, 117129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raymond, E., & Grenier, A. (2015). Social participation at the intersection of old age and lifelong disability: Illustrations from a Photo-Novel project. Journal of Aging Studies, 35, 190200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raymond, E., Grenier, A., & Hanley, J. (2013). Community participation in older adults with disabilities. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 24, 5062.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richard, L., Gauvin, L., Gosselin, C., & Laforest, S. (2008). Staying connected: Neighbourhood correlates of social participation among older adults living in an urban environment in Montreal, Quebec. Health Promotion International, 24(1), 4657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudman, D. L. (2015). Embodying positive ageing and neoliberal rationality: Talking about the ageing body within narratives of retirement. Journal of Aging Studies, 34, 1020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudman, D. L., & Durdle, D. (2008). Living with fear: The lived experience of community mobility for older adults with low vision. Journal of Physical Activity and Aging, 17, 106122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudman, D. L., Huot, S., Klinger, L., Leipert, B., & Spafford, M. (2010). Struggling to maintain occupation while dealing with risk: The experiences of older adults with low vision. OTJR: Occupation, participation and health, 30(2), 8796.Google Scholar
Rush, K. L., Murphy, M. A., & Kozak, J. F. (2012). A photovoice study of older adults’ conceptualizations of risk. Journal of Aging Studies, 26, 448458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryan, B. (2014). Models of low vision care: Past, present and future. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 97, 209213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shank, K. H., & Cutchin, M. P. (2010). Transactional occupations of older women aging-in-place: Negotiating change and meaning. Journal of Occupational Science, 17, 413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabrett, D. R., & Latham, K. (2009). Depression and acquired visual impairment. Optometry in Practice, 10, 7588.Google Scholar
Wang, S. W., & Boerner, K. (2008). Staying connected: Re-establishing social relationships following vision loss. Clinical Rehabilitation, 22, 816824 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. (2007). Global age-friendly cities: A guide. Retrieved from: www.who.int/entity/ageing/publications/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf Google Scholar
Zur, B., & Rudman, D. L. (2013). WHO Age Friendly Cities: Enacting societal transformation through occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 20, 370381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar