How elderly people maintain a sense of purpose and personal identity when moving to a retirement community

Rachwal, Francesca (2019) How elderly people maintain a sense of purpose and personal identity when moving to a retirement community. Oxford Brookes University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

A qualitative investigation was carried out to explore the psychological well-being of a group of older adults recruited from an independent living retirement community (ILRC). This investigation studied the challenges these older adults faced to their self-concept and sense of purpose, and addressed gaps in existing research exploring autonomy, competence, and relatedness within ILRC’s. Eight residents (aged 67-98) were interviewed about their lived experience of retirement and the transition to old age. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed participants withheld a subjective perception of themselves as ageing, with many still feeling young and living full and active lives in the community, demonstrating the ‘new age’ of retirement. Remaining independent was inherently important to participants and being exposed to the oldest-old adults in the community further strengthened this need as it was a reminder of the reduction in autonomy that often accompanies old age. These results extend our understanding of successful ageing by showing that although retirement can be challenging, it can also be a time for people to flourish, and that retaining purposeful lives with a heightened sense of autonomy and meaningful relations with others can significantly improve well-being in later life.