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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Kate Gibson, Professor Katie Brittain, Emma McLellan, Dr Andrew KingstonORCiD, Dr Louise Robinson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2024.Background: Most people want to remain at home as they age. Ageing in place – remaining at home and connected to the community – is a national and international policy priority; however, to better understand how policy might be implemented, a more nuanced understanding is required about older adults’ lived experiences of ageing in place, especially the experiences of those aged 80 and above. Objective: To describe and explore the social processes which enable ageing in place from the perspective of community-dwelling older people (80+). Methods: Forty-six respondents (80–100+ years) participated in the first wave of a longitudinal qualitative study set in North East England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants’ homes between June 2022 and January 2023. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Participants positioned their homes as a place of freedom and as the antithesis of a ‘care home’. Remaining in place was important for all participants; a key priority for them was to remain physically active to enable this. However, many participants faced significant hurdles to remaining in place. These were primarily related to health and mobility issues. Some participants were able to overcome such barriers by drawing on financial resources and available social networks. Conclusion: The home is central to understanding older peoples’ (80+) experiences of ageing. In a socio-political context which promotes ageing in place, the social factors shaping experiences of ageing in place must be considered. This involves attending to the challenges of later life, particularly health and especially mobility and physical function. Currently, those with resources (social and economic) are better equipped to respond to such challenges, thus potentially exacerbating widening inequalities in ageing. By foregrounding the perspectives of those ageing in place alongside social factors shaping their experiences, our study has important implications for policy and health and social care. We show that a more equitable allocation of resources is vital to fulfil the ageing in place policy agenda. Furthermore, we highlight a need to recognise commitments to ageing in place displayed by people aged 80 and above, especially when remaining in place becomes difficult to achieve.
Author(s): Gibson K, Brittain K, McLellan E, Kingston A, Wilkinson H, Robinson L
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMC Geriatrics
Year: 2024
Volume: 24
Issue: 1
Online publication date: 17/06/2024
Acceptance date: 11/06/2024
Date deposited: 24/06/2024
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2318
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05139-2
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05139-2
Data Access Statement: The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to reasons concerning participant privacy and confidentiality. Please contact the corresponding author (kate.gibson2@newcastle.ac.uk) for further information.
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