大象传媒

By Maxine Ho, AIRP Vancouver Undergraduate Research Assistant

It is a cloudy day in Metro Vancouver with some snow covering the sidewalks. My research partner and I are comfortably seated in an interview participant鈥檚 soft cream couch, as the warm smell of homemade bread fills the air. Today is yet another day of interviewing an older adult who is experiencing housing precarity and living in affordable independent rental housing for the 鈥楢ging in the Right Place鈥� research project (Aging in the right place, n.d.). Sally*, the person we are interviewing today, shares her pictures with us for the photovoice component of our interview and reflects on what these pictures mean to her when it comes to aging in the right place (Kaushik et al., 2021).  

 鈥淪o it sounds like for aging in the right place, it鈥檚 not just the place that you鈥檙e in, but also the mental place,鈥� I say to her as I gesture to my head, the printed pictures neatly stacked in front of us on the coffee table.

She nods in agreement as if my words had struck with her, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the mental place. Absolutely鈥� And I think people can learn that鈥� you have to also choose that鈥�you have to be motivated.鈥�

Due to redevelopment plans of her current housing, Sally will be moved to a different building under the same affordable housing organization. When asked how she feels about the move, she suggests that her sense of aging in the right place is not limited to her physical space, but her attitude towards the spaces she is in. She believes that she will find what she needs when she gets to her new housing arrangement. This demonstrates that while there are aspects to affordable housing that prevent older adults from finding housing stability, there are also other individual circumstances such as mindset that contribute to their feeling of aging in the right place.  (Canham, 2022).

To Sally, aging in the right place doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean being in the right physical space. Aging in the right place rather, involves a 鈥渉olistic鈥� take on one鈥檚 well-being, including aging in the right emotional and spiritual place. It is to say, 鈥淎s long as I feel happy with my life, I can feel happy anywhere.鈥� The idea of holistic well-being can be understood as having multiple dimensions of wellness that impact one鈥檚 life, which includes occupational, social, intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness (Strout & Howard, 2012). It is to see how these dimensions are interconnected to form the wholeness of well-being when it comes to older adults (Strout & Howard, 2012).

Feeling as though she missed a very important point during the interview, Sally pulled me aside before we left her home. I recall her telling me that she believes her sense of spirituality has played an important role in aging in the right place.

Among the six dimensions of holistic well-being, the dimension of spirituality can oftentimes be overlooked in research and interventions relating to healthy aging. Even so, recent research has shown a strong relationship between spiritual well-being and self-perceived health, especially for older adults (Salman & Lee, 2019). Spiritual well-being is how an individual perceives their life in a meaningful and purposeful way, where they feel self-confidence in dealing with life challenges (Salman & Lee, 2019). Spirituality has been described to help promote positive attitudes, self-enhancing behaviours, and a sense of faith for the individual (Lavretsky, 2010).

The idea of healthy aging has long been examined using biomedical approaches to look at the process of aging in the physical body (Bacsu et al., 2014). While these approaches are informative and help us understand the experience of aging physically, listening to the lived experiences of what it means to age in the right place highlights the importance of cultural and social experiences in aging. Through our conversation with Sally, we understand that the experience of older adults in affordable housing is complex, and it involves multiple aspects that contribute to her feeling of aging in the right place. Being able to give back to society, maintaining a positive mindset, and connecting with those around her all contribute to her sense of aging in the right place. This is why she feels that no matter where she goes, she is aging in the right place.

Well-being, then, involves the effective functioning of the person, and their sense of purpose as well as flourishing (Dooris et al., 2018). Throughout these interviews, our researchers have found multiple instances where spirituality and a sense of purpose play important roles in aging in the right place for older adults in affordable housing:

• 鈥淵eah, in the aging in the right place, no matter the age you are, you鈥檙e always in the right place, with the Lord of creation leading the way鈥�I wanted to show people that, you know, you can do lots of things, and you don't even know that you're being noticed.鈥� (female affordable independent rental housing resident, 63 years)
• 鈥淢y spiritual group is my foundation.鈥� (male affordable independent rental housing resident, 71 years)
• 鈥淸Art] keeps me balanced鈥�it takes away depression鈥�travel, sunshine, and art. That鈥檚 all I need.鈥� (male affordable independent rental housing resident, 76 years old)

These findings emphasize the way one鈥檚 self-perception in their life contributes significantly to healthy aging. In the case of Sally, she finds meaning from being with her friends and family, and volunteering to give back to the community.

Overall, aging in the right place must be considered in the context of multiple aspects of well-being. To be in the right place is multifaceted. Using a more holistic approach to looking at well-being can lead to a deeper understanding for policymakers, programs, and researchers to form more effective interventions to support healthy aging, no matter one鈥檚 social status. Finally, I would also suggest that we can learn from this idea of holistic well-being and apply it to our own lives to live meaningful and purposeful lives.

References

Aging in the right place. (n.d.). 大象传媒. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from /airp/about.html

Bacsu, J., Jeffrey, B., Abonyi, S., Johnson, S., Novik, N., Martz, D., & Oosman, S. (2013). Healthy aging in place: Perceptions of rural older adults. Educational Gerontology, 40(5), 327-337.

Canham, S. L., Weldrick, R., Sussman, T., Walsh, C. A., & Mahmood, A. (2022). Aging in the right place: A conceptual framework of indicators for older persons experiencing homelessness. Gerontologist, XX(XX), 1-7.

Dooris, M., Farrier, A., & Froggett, L. (2018). Wellbeing: The challenge of 鈥榦perationalising鈥� an holistic concept within a reductionist public health programme. Perspectives in Public Health, 138(2), 93-99.

Kaushik, V., Walsh, C., Canham, S.L., Mahmood, A., & Sussman, T. (2021). Perceptions of aging in the right place: Photovoice with older adults transitioning from experiencing homelessness during COVID-19 [Paper presentation]. Canadian Association on Gerontology 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting. /airp/research/ConferencePresentations/perceptions-of-aging-in-the-right-place--photovoice-with-older-a.html

Lavretsky, H. (2010). Spiritual and aging. Aging Health, 6(6), 749-769.

Salman, A., & Lee, Y. (2019). Spiritual practices and effects of spiritual well-being and depression on elders鈥� self-perceived health. Applied Nursing Research, 48, 68-74.

Strout, K. A., & Howard, E. P. (2012). The six dimensions of wellness and cognition in aging adults. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 30 (3), 195-204.