Eliopoulos, Elaine M; (2023) The Role of the Body in Deep Old Age and Its Impact on Social Inclusion/Exclusion on Three Small Islands in the Pacific Northwest of USA. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This qualitative study on three small islands in the Pacific Northwest of the USA examined the role of the body (corporeality) for 23 participants, aged 80-102 and its impact on social inclusion/exclusion. Overall upward trends in longevity reveal a continuing increase in those living into the ninth decade and beyond. Current models of deep old age reflect a dominant view of decline and dependency with a dearth of empirical studies focused on the lived bodily experience of the very old. This research fills that gap by enhancing our understanding of the heterogeneity and nuances of the deep old age body and its impact on social inclusion/exclusion. A participatory methodology, photo-elicitation, was used as the basis for semi-structured interviews in which participants presented representations of daily bodily experience. Despite the challenges of the method, most participants were able to provide photographs for discussion. The findings suggest the body was not central to participants narratives and that a sense of community contributed to inclusion despite a wide range of bodily challenges and disabilities. This contextual corporeality suggested the importance of place and implicated the need for interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary research agendas that explore the lived realities of this group in different contexts to further understand the bodily experience. A nuanced understanding of the role of the body and inclusion/exclusion can have important implications for theorising deep old age beyond the decline model. Keywords: body (corporeality), contextual corporeality, oldest old, social inclusion/exclusion, islands, community, place, third and fourth age, qualitative research, visual methods, photo-elicitation This qualitative study on three small islands in the Pacific Northwest of the USA examined the role of the body (corporeality) for 23 participants, aged 80-102 and its impact on social inclusion/exclusion. Overall upward trends in longevity reveal a continuing increase in those living into the ninth decade and beyond. Current models of deep old age reflect a dominant view of decline and dependency with a dearth of empirical studies focused on the lived bodily experience of the very old. This research fills that gap by enhancing our understanding of the heterogeneity and nuances of the deep old age body and its impact on social inclusion/exclusion. A participatory methodology, photo-elicitation, was used as the basis for semi-structured interviews in which participants presented representations of daily bodily experience. Despite the challenges of the method, most participants were able to provide photographs for discussion. The findings suggest the body was not central to participants narratives and that a sense of community contributed to inclusion despite a wide range of bodily challenges and disabilities. This contextual corporeality suggested the importance of place and implicated the need for interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary research agendas that explore the lived realities of this group in different contexts to further understand the bodily experience. A nuanced understanding of the role of the body and inclusion/exclusion can have important implications for theorising deep old age beyond the decline model. Keywords: body (corporeality), contextual corporeality, oldest old, social inclusion/exclusion, islands, community, place, third and fourth age, qualitative research, visual methods, photo-elicitation

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