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‘It gives you a reason to be in this world’: the interdependency of communities, environments and social justice for quality of life in older people

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2020

Jane M. Robertson Open the ORCID record for Jane M. Robertson [Opens in a new window] ,
Grant Gibson Open the ORCID record for Grant Gibson [Opens in a new window] ,
Corinne Greasley-Adams ,
Vikki McCall ,
Joan Gibson ,
Janice Mason-Duff  and
Ro Pengelly
Jane M. Robertson*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Grant Gibson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Corinne Greasley-Adams
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Vikki McCall
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Joan Gibson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Janice Mason-Duff
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Ro Pengelly
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: j.m.robertson@stir.ac.uk
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Abstract

Research regarding quality of life among older people has predominantly focused on functional elements experienced at individual or dyadic level despite the complex interplay of factors that contribute to quality of life. Perspectives which explore interdependencies within communities and the intersecting environments in which older people exercise agency have seen less study. They do, however, play an important role in influencing quality of life as experienced by older people across community settings. Qualitative data from a co-produced study of dimensions influencing quality of life in older people was subjected to secondary analysis using a critical human ecological approach. Findings demonstrate the importance of community interdependencies in supporting individual quality of life, the expression of active agency to foster quality of life within and across communities, and the importance of state infrastructures and service provision within these interdependencies. This article argues for a movement beyond functional conceptualisations of quality of life towards the inclusion of perspectives regarding communal wellbeing, alongside the role differing types of community play in influencing quality of life. Through developing conceptions of quality of life in social relations and community cohesion, in particular how quality of life is influenced by perceptions of solidarity and social justice including across generations, assessing quality of life at community level will assist in driving cultural change in policy making and practice.

Keywords

community developmenthuman ecologyintergenerationalinterdependenceolder peoplequality of lifesocial justiceco-production
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , March 2022 , pp. 539 - 563
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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