Background
Objective
Methods
Design
Sample selection and participants
Respondent | Gender | Age | Marital status | Reported health problems | Level of mobility | Residential situation | Living situation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | female | 80’s-90’s | widow | blood pressure, cardiac | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | townhouse with stairs | living alone |
2 | male | 80’s-90’s | widower | balance, vision | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | townhouse with stairs | living alone |
3 | male | 80’s-90’s | widower | memory | no restrictions on moving indoors; partial restrictions on moving outdoors | townhouse with stairs | living alone |
4 | female | 100’s-110’s | widow | vision, falls, arthrosis | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | townhouse with stairs | living alone (week); living with children (WE) |
5 | male | 70’s-80’s | married | hernia | No restrictions on moving indoors; partial restrictions on moving outdoors | flat with elevator | living with wife |
6 | female | 80’s-90’s | widow | normal aging diseases | no restrictions on moving indoors; no restrictions on moving outdoors | flat with elevator | living with partner |
7 | male | 90’s-100’s | married | sleep, presbyacousis, mobility | no restrictions on moving indoors; partial restrictions on moving outdoors | detached house with stairs | living with wife |
8 | male | 90’s-100’s | married | vision (blind), arthrosis, mobility | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | ground floor of townhouse | living with wife |
9 | female | 70’s-80’s | widow | mobility | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | townhouse with stairs/stairlift | living alone |
10 | female | 60’s-70’s | widow | mobility, backache | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | flat with elevator | living alone |
11 | female | 80’s-90’s | widow | mobility, intestinal | No restrictions on moving indoors; partial restrictions on moving outdoors | townhouse with stairs | living alone |
12 | female | 70’s-80’s | married | rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, dented vertebra | restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | detached house with stairs/stairlift | living with husband |
13 | female | 60’s-70’s | married | arthrosis, heart rhythm, glaucoma | no restrictions on moving in- and outdoors | detached house with stairs | living with husband and sun with special needs |
14 | male | 70’s-80’s | married | arthrosis, glaucoma | no restrictions on moving indoors; partial restrictions on moving outdoors | Assisted flat with elevator | living alone, separately from his wife |
Data collection
Data analysis
Reflection on the role of the researchers
Results
Demographic characteristics
Perceived level of activity and participation
“In the kitchen, it’s my wife who does everything. I can’t do anything because I can’t see it. I can’t feed the pets anymore either, my wife does that. My wife also does the garden. When I go outside I take my walking-frame, but last Sunday I took my cane. I should have used my walking frame...” (90’s-100’s - man with visual impairment and mobility issues)
‘The large walks have been left behind. Up until about four years ago, those still went fine, despite my back issues. And cycling, mostly uphill and downhill, I don’t like going straight ahead all the time. It seems like it’s more exhausting if I don’t have variation.’ (70’s-80’s - man with lower back-pain)
Perceived health
‘I’m generally good, it’s just my walking that’s less good, but otherwise I’m healthy. My health never deteriorates. I’m happy with what I can still do.’ (70’s-80’s - woman using a walking aid)
Factors older adults perceive as influencing their activity level and their participation
‘My walker and my rollator, these are my freedom. I use my walker upstairs and it stays there. I have my rollator downstairs. I always take my rollator with me when I go outside.’ (70’s-80’s - woman living alone)
‘Especially strength in my hands, that’s what I experience. When I need to turn the key, then I need to do that twice and twist, or if I need to open a jar, then I give it to the boy next door.’ (80’s-90’s - woman living alone)
Perspectives on determinants of functioning, social participation and health
Attitude
‘ … I have trouble talking to other people, having a conversation, that’s just not me … my mother was like that as well. Everyone knew she didn’t do chatting.’ (100’s-110’s - woman living alone)
‘I often tell myself “exercise in the morning, every day”. But some do nothing, I wonder how people with back pain can sit for hours without adopting an ergonomic posture.’ (70’s-80’s - cohabitating man)
‘Get up, washing my privates and my face, I’ve already washed my privates when the nurses come to shower me. I want to wash my privates myself.’ (100’s-110’s - woman living alone)
Social influence
‘I refuse to wear a hearing aid. I think it is a sign of old age …. My wife does everything in our household. Every two weeks the cleaner comes. Everything else we do ourselves … I don’t like the idea that someone would think, I’m here with pensioners who neglects everything around them … ’ (90’s-100’s - cohabitating man)
‘I think it’s because you’re still in your regular environment. You see people doing things and think “I can do that too” and you do it too. Because if I were to end up in a nursing home, it would be over quickly.’ (80’s-90’s - cohabitating women)
Self-efficacy
‘Running I’ve thought of that, but why should I do that? I can walk just as well.’ (70’s-80’s - man living alone)
‘When I wake up, I think “I hope I don’t have pain today for a change”. Rheumatism, that sometimes takes two hours. And I think “If I didn’t experience pain, I might miss it” … The laundry does not go as smoothly as it used to, where it used to take an hour, I now take one hour and a half. It’s the same with cleaning.’ (70’s-80’s - woman living alone)
Coping strategies
‘My husband and I regularly go cycling with our son. Walking long distances is no longer possible because of my foot injury. Cycling keeps us moving.’ (60’s-70’s - woman living with sun with special needs)
‘When I am in a lot of pain, I pray or think about my grandchildren. It distracts me from the pain.’ (60’s-70’s - woman living alone)
‘Putting things into perspective through humor … we try and agree with each other as much as possible. What’s changed is that instead of softly whispering to each other we now have to yell at each other.’ (90’s-100’s - cohabitating man)