Experiences and motives of retirement-aged workers during the first wave of COVID-19 in Slovenia: "This was the first time in 40 years that I really saw spring"

Choosing to continue working after retirement eligibility can attract both negative and positive sentiments from the general public. Studies examining the motivations of older workers have so far been conducted in times of relative social and economic stability. However, little is known about what it means for older workers to work during a lockdown or pandemic situation. The present longitudinal study aimed to explore experiences of retirement-aged workers in Slovenia in relation to their motives for prolonged work activity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, using the theory of gerotranscendence as a theoretical framework. Nine workers were interviewed before and after the start of the pandemic. The qualitative analysis was based on 18 interviews and observations, juxtaposing two analytical methods in order to illustrate common themes across the data as well as tensions in specific situations within a narrative context. Four main themes are presented: Unchanged plans, Motive developments, Psychological preparation for retirement and Views of society. In addition, a narrative analysis is presented with a focus on self-transcending elements in some of the participants' narratives. The findings suggest that during a pandemic, older workers' individual experiences might be constructed more positively compared to other groups, especially if they develop agentic identity and pursue meaningful activities. We discuss an innovative approach to gerotranscendence, complementing this theory with concepts from occupational science to develop a clearer distinction from the now dated disengagement theory and examine the life trajectories of older workers in novel situations such as a pandemic.

Gerotranscendence and Alaska Native Successful Aging in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands, Alaska

The population of the United States is aging and by 2045 it is projected that approximately 1 in every 6 Alaskans will be 65+. Delivering healthcare and meeting the needs of older Alaskans in their community is critical to supporting healthy aging and community sustainability. Alaska Native (AN) Elders are underserved with very few studies providing an emic perspective on their experience aging. This research opens the door and allows us a glimpse of the AN Elder experience of aging: the values, beliefs, and behaviors that allow them to age well. This study highlights the characteristics and activities of AN Elders in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands to further develop the model of AN successful aging. There are many theories of aging and this study explores a cross-cultural understanding of gerotranscendence - the personal and interpersonal changes that result from successful aging or achieving Eldership. This study interviewed Elders in two communities of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands region. Using 22 standardized questions based on the explanatory model, researchers facilitated discussion of what it means to be an Elder and age successfully. Employing thematic analysis, interview transcripts were analyzed for themes to organize the data. Themes were organized into 5 core elements of successful aging with specific emphasis on values, beliefs, and behaviors that were protective and helped them adapt to aging-related changes. Interview content, meaning, and themes support the four elements of the AN model of successful aging developed by Lewis (The Gerontologist, 51(4), 540-549, 2011): Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Spirituality, Purposefulness and Engagement, and Physical Health. Elders' stories highlight the importance of reflection, personal growth, and psychosocial development. Elders who more strongly identified with their role in the community described how their perspective had changed and they shared stories that emphasized culture, connection to the land, and enjoyment of daily activities that resulted in increased life satisfaction. Elders provided clear evidence that they experienced aspects of gerotranscendence, which Tornstam (Journal of Aging Studies, 11(2), 143-154, 1997) categorized as the cosmic dimension, the self, and social and personal relationships. Elders adapting to aging-related changes and embracing their role as an Elder provided the greatest evidence of gerotranscendence - they developed new perspectives on life, took on new roles within the community, and experienced a shift in mindset that reinforced the importance of culture, tradition, and the Native Way of Life. This research allowed AN Elders to share their experiences, define successful aging, and expand the concept of Eldership to include changes in mindset, values, and relationships with themselves and others. The study is a framework to help us better understand the experiences of AN Elders aging successfully and the wisdom they wish to impart to others to help them learn to live healthy and meaningful lives.

Becoming and being an older adult: A mixed methods study of the lived experience of aging

PURPOSE

This phenomenological inquiry explored what it is like to become and to be old. The principal aims of this study were to first characterize participants' lived experience of becoming and being an older person, then to determine the extent to which they were aging in a conscious way that evidenced aspects of gerotranscendence, and finally, to contextualize participants' responses within existing research on the phenomenon.

DESIGN AND METHODS

In a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design using an interpretive inquiry strategy, 17 men and women living independently in their communities responded to questions about their experience of aging and completed measures of gerotranscendence and adjustment to aging and their psychosocial correlates. A structural analysis of the verbatim transcripts of the interviews employed a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. The quantitative measures informed further interpretations of interview data.

RESULTS

Most participants exemplified aging well with strengths and positive experiences across multiple domains; others evidenced optimal aging as physical challenges began to appear. Seven themes emerged from the structural analysis of the interview transcripts: Accepting/making accommodations for the inexorable physical changes; Being old versus feeling old; Being seen as old; Changing-and growing-psychologically and emotionally; Experiencing time as long and as short; Maintaining meaningful interpersonal relationships; and Speaking and living freely, and authentically.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Convergences and divergences between the themes identified in this study and prior literature on the phenomenology of aging are discussed. Findings from this and similar studies have implications both for older adults and for those who care for and about them. If an older person is motivated to adapt in positive ways, then the potential to continue developing and growing into very old age is enhanced. On the macro level, an increased understanding of and appreciation for the breadth of older adults' experience of their eighth, ninth, and tenth decades of life should inform the development of policies, programs, and services to enhance their day-to-day lives.

[Spirituality in old age as dynamic aging task]

BACKGROUND

A multitude of studies have demonstrated a positive effect of spirituality for dealing with difficult situations in life; however, specific studies on spirituality in older age are exceptionally rare within the German gerontological research landscape. The theory of gerotranscendence by Tornstam indicates that spirituality is of particular importance for maintaining life satisfaction especially in older age, due to a change in perspective.

OBJECTIVES

This study looked into the research questions of how spirituality is presented in the oldest old (80 years and older) in Germany and to what extent its characteristics are specific to older age.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Problem-centered interviews were conducted with 20 oldest old subjects and evaluated using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Spirituality in itself is not specific to very old age. Its shaping, however, as an existential process of transformation and redefinition, is specific in the oldest old due to their socialization and biographical experiences over the life course impregnated by processes of subjectification and individualization. In addition, its relation to existential questions gains increasing relevance and priority in very old age in an affective, reflective and performative dimension, and the answers change between fragility and continuity.

CONCLUSION

As a heterogeneous (intermediate) result of experiences over the life course against the background of socialization and individual existential interpretation of "Self" and "World", spirituality in the oldest old should be perceived in this diverse and dynamic manner in research and practice, in order to foster well-being in old age.

Motives to practice exercise in old age and successful aging: A latent class analysis

PURPOSE

The aim was to classify motives for exercising trying to find sets of related cases that share common motivations, and to relate these latent classes to markers of successful aging.

METHODS

725 old adult aged 55 to 97 years were sampled in several Spanish towns.

INSTRUMENTS

Successful Aging Inventory (SAI), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Health Survey SF-8, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and motives to practice exercise, were used. Latent Class Analyses (LCAs) were estimated. The classes obtained were compared on markers of successful aging.

RESULTS

Three latent classes were deemed optimal. Significant differences for several markers of successful aging were found.

CONCLUSION

A main conclusion derived from the results is that not all old people do exercise for the same motives, and the class of motives you are in had an impact/relation on markers of successful aging. Motives related to internal rather than external pressures should be promoted in the old age.

Differences in perception of gerotranscendence behaviors between college students and community-dwelling older adults

Within the field of gerontology, several different theories have attempted to explain common psychological and social changes associated with the aging process. The Theory of Gerotranscendence is one such theory which purports that a shift in meta-perspective from a more materialistic and pragmatic view of the world to a more cosmic and transcendent one occurs as we age. Corresponding with this shift in meta-perspective, the individual exhibits certain behaviors that could be mistaken as signs of psychopathology if viewed based on the assumptions of more culturally-assimilated theories of aging. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in perception of gerotranscendence behaviors between college students and older adults. Perceptions were quantified using an instrument that described many behaviors indicative of gerotranscendence within the context of a written narrative depicting an older adult living in an assisted living facility. Respondents were then asked to rate these behaviors in terms of how unusual they were and how concerning they were. As hypothesized, results indicated that several behaviors indicative of gerotranscendence were rated as more concerning and unusual by college students compared to older adults. Implications of these findings in terms of interactions between younger and older individuals occurring in the community and within healthcare settings are discussed.