Abstract
The oldest-old (85+ years) age group is the fastest growing segment of the United States population. Little is known about the day-to-day experience of oldest-old rural adults. The purpose of this study was to explore life experiences of oldest-old individuals who live alone in rural Midwest communities and provide detailed description and interpretation of the meaning of their lived experiences. Aims of the study were to: (a) identify how oldest-old rural-dwelling men and women perceive the experience of living alone in their own homes; (b) analyze their perceptions of their health status and presence of acute or chronic illness; (c) examine how they modify daily patterns of living to accommodate physical discomfort, restricted mobility, and varying energy resources and demands; (d) describe what trade-offs they are willing to make between being physically safe and staying in their own homes; and (e) explore what social support or resources they perceive as necessary for them to remain living at home.
Sigma Membership
Theta Lambda at-Large
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Phenomenology
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Home-Dwelling Elderly, Self-Determination, Thematic Analysis
Advisor
Joanne Kraenzle Schneider
Degree
PhD
Degree Grantor
Saint Louis University
Degree Year
2002
Recommended Citation
Hinck, Susan, "The lived experience of oldest-old rural adults" (2020). Dissertations. 320.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/320
Rights Holder
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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2020-07-31
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3051801; ProQuest document ID: 305570494. The author still retains copyright.