The invisible woman: Women over age 85 in today\u27s society

During recent decades, the older population in this country has been increasing dramatically. The oldest old, age 85 and over, have multiplied their numbers most significantly, increasing 21% from 1980 to 1985. The national total of 2.8 million is expected to triple over the next 35 years. Due primarily to differences in life expectancy for men and women, the population over age 85 is predominantly female. Beyond age 85, there are 253 women to every 100 men. In spite of the preponderance of women in the older population, there has been little research focusing on older women. There have also been few studies done specific to the population segment of 85 years and older. Theories concerning the aging process often do not address the reality that people live beyond their eighties. Theories which do discuss late life are generally not based on research with the old-old, but on work done with the young-old, in their sixties and seventies. There is little data-based knowledge about this growing segment of the population. This study was designed to discover and to generate a theoretical construct of late life based on the lives and perspectives of older women. The sample is representative of the 80% of the old-old who live in non-institutional settings within the community, and a mix of other demographic characteristics. The study examines attitudes, health issues, support systems, environmental issues, ethnic and racial issues, and orientations to the future. Of particular interest are the psycho-social changes that occur in cognitive and affective development, as well as the ways in which older women interact with the world around them. The methodology utilized is the grounded theory approach; the systematic exploration of unknown territory through qualitative investigation. This strategy results in the discovery of conceptually rich categories from which hypotheses can be postulated. The relationships between these hypothesis form the conceptual framework of the developing theory. Recommendations are made for future research work to verify and to modify the theory