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Older Men ‘Working It Out’: a Strong Face of Ageing and Disability

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Older Men ‘Working It Out’: a Strong Face of Ageing and Disability View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Sydney eScholarship OLDER MEN ‘WORKING IT OUT’: A STRONG FACE OF AGEING AND DISABILITY ALFRED ANDREW FLEMING Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Scie nces, The University of Sydney, Australia August, 2001 STATEMENT OF DECLARATION I certify that this thesis entitled, Older Men ‘Working it Out’: A Strong Face of Ageing and Disability, and submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other university or institution. I also certify that this thesis has been written by me and that any help I received in preparing the thesis, and all sources used, are acknowledged within the thesis. Signed ……………………………. Alfred Andrew Fleming Date ……………………………. ii ABSTRACT This hermeneutical study interprets and describes the phenomena of ageing and living with disability. The lived experiences of 14 older men and the horizon of this researcher developed an understanding of what it is like for men to grow old and, for some, to live with the effects of a major disability. The study is grounded in the philosophical hermeneutics of Gadamer and framed in the context of embodiment, masculinity, and narrative. I conducted multiple in-depth interviews with older men aged from 67 to 83 years of age. Seven of the participants had experienced a stroke and I was able to explore the phenomenon of disability with them. Through thematic and narrative analyses of the textual data interpretations were developed that identified common meanings and understandings of the phenomena of ageing and disability. These themes and narratives reveal that the men’s understandings are at odds with conventional negative views of ageing and disability. These older men are ‘alive and kicking’, they voice counternarratives to the dominant construction of ageing as decline and weakness, and have succeeded in remaking the lifeworld after stroke. Overall I have come to understand an overarching meaning of older men ‘working it out’ as illustrative of a strong face of ageing and disability. Older men seek out opportunities to participate actively in community life and, despite the challenges of ageing and disability, lead significant and meaningful lives. These findings challenge and extend our limited understandings of men’s experiences of ageing and living with disability. This interpretation offers gendered directions for policy development, clinical practice, and future research. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have contributed to this thesis and without their help I would not be where I am now. This journey of discovery, learning, and understanding has been at times challenging yet overwhelmingly rewarding. I offer my sincere thanks to: My family, Dee, Lyrian, Kara, and Elliot who have endured all my years of study and in spite of this have remained at my side. Your support in so many ways has sustained me throughout the life of this thesis. Cherry Russell who has a commitment to gerontology that inspires me. Her academic leadership, support, and guidance throughout my journey has always been of the highest quality and has enabled me to complete this project. Rodd Rothwell for his guidance as I worked out an understanding of philosophical hermeneutics. The late John Walters who directed me to hermeneutics as a way to understand our being-in-the -world. My academic and nursing colleagues with whom I have discussed my emerging ideas and understandings. In particular, Lydia, Rene, Antoinette, Julie, Jenny, and Ralph. Helen Eccles, Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney, Helen Ledwidge, University of Western Sydney, Nepean, and Hal Kendig, University of Sydney for their support in facilitating part-time and casual employment for me. The Ageing and Disability Department (NSW) who through a PhD scholarship provided me with the financial support to be able to study full time and thereby complete this project. The 14 older men who helped me to understand the nature of ageing and living with disability. These men have certainly ‘tended culture’ in a most significant way. iv KEY TO TRANSCRIPTS In presenting the findings of this study, particularly in relation to the excerpts from the interviews, I have used the following abbreviations and conventions: Simon All names of participants are pseudonyms AF Refers to me as interviewer I’ve learnt All dialogue from the interviews is indented. [wife] My comments used to describe people or places named by participants. As well, to add clarity or explanation and summarise sections of participant dialogue (laughing) My comments concerning incidents or behaviours that occurred during the interviews … or .… Is used to indicate dialogue from interviews or field notes that I have edited out I WISH Indicates words emphasised or spoken louder by participants during the interviews (p) Indicates a pause in the dialogue of participants of less than or equal to three seconds (P) Indicates a pause in the dialogue of participants of more than three seconds ] Indicates an overlap in speech between interviewee and interviewer. For example, when the speech of interviewer has been interrupted by the interviewee 5 Well Line numbers are provided when the location of dialogue within the interview as a whole is relevant if an Indicates a section of dialogue that is of a particular significance and form v TABLE OF CONTENTS page STATEMENT OF DECLARATION ............................................................................ii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................ iv KEY TO TRANSCRIPTS ............................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ x ULYSSES..................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION.......................................................................... 1 Organisation of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER TWO – BACKGROUND: AGEING, DISABILITY, AND MASCULINITY................................................................................................... 7 Demographic Ageing ................................................................................................. 9 The Weak Face of Ageing .......................................................................................... 9 The ‘Ageless Self’ .....................................................................................................12 Psychological Perspectives on Ageing ........................................................................15 Older Women, Invisible Older Men ............................................................................18 Disadvantages of the Male Role ............................................................................21 Retirement ......................................................................................................23 Older Men’s Friendships ..................................................................................25 Older Men’s Relationships ...............................................................................26 Disability in Later Life..............................................................................................27 Older men and disability .......................................................................................28 Stroke.............................................................................................................28 Bodies and Embodiment ............................................................................................31 A Biomedical View: The Body as Machine ............................................................32 Body and Self as Separate.....................................................................................32 The Body as Social...............................................................................................33 The Body as Lived ...............................................................................................36 Embodiment Research..........................................................................................38 Disability..................................................................................................................40 The Body as Machine in Disability ........................................................................40 vi The Social Body in Disability ................................................................................40 The Lived Body in Disability ................................................................................40 Wounded Storytellers ...........................................................................................41 Control ...........................................................................................................41 Body and Other-relatedness..............................................................................41
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