In this phenomenologically grounded study I draw on PCS analysis (Thompson, 2011a) to explore the relationship between how individuals make sense of their experience of reciprocity while in receipt of formal eldercare delivery, prevailing discourses about old age and dependency, and the significance attached to age as a social division. In addition to applying the PCS framework in an innovative way, I propose a further innovative analytical framework to highlight that meaning making around reciprocity is informed by the significance of space, time, discourse and institutionalised patterns of power. Findings that emerged from the narratives of elders in the UK and India reflect that, while older people dependent on formal care may desire opportunities to give as well as receive, opportunities for giving tend not to be facilitated, and the dimension of future aspiration tends to be neglected. In exploring the sociological and phenomenological implications of the findings, and raising the profile of reciprocity in the theorising of eldercare, I highlight their positive potential to contribute to a better understanding of the spiritual well-being of individuals dependent on formal care and to provide a challenge to deficit models in the theorising of dependency in old age by emphasising a future orientation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:569662 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Thompson, Susan |
| Publisher | University of Liverpool |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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