Michèle Charpentier

Older women and their representations of old age: a qualitative analysis

ABSTRACT In this article we shall be analysing the representations of old age and ageing made by three generations of older women with different life stories (single, married, children and childless). Our principal findings, based on a qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth interviews conducted with three generations of older women (65–74, 75–84 and 85 and older), mainly reveal their reluctance and even refusal to define themselves as ‘older or elderly women’, largely due to persistent stereotypes linking old age to dependency, social isolation and fragility. Aware of the social prejudice regarding women and old age, they reject it unanimously. Older women represent a challenge to these homogenising preconceptions of old age, which they, on the contrary, experience in a multitude of ways, often enjoyable. Their conceptions of ‘ageing well’ are diverse and do not correspond to a clinical definition of ageing. Their representations of ‘ageing well’ and of ageing express positive values of autonomy, independence, consistency and integrity, maintenance of physical and intellectual health, and being socially active so they can ‘stay in the swing of things’, in the continuum of their lives and future projects, rather breaking with contemporary life or existing on the margins of society.

Initiate, Bequeath, and Remember: Older Women's Transmission Role Within the Family

In social sciences, little attention has been paid to the role and functions of grandmothers in the family, and still less, to their role as legators and transmitters of values. Do older women have the impression they are transmitting or have transmitted something to succeeding generations? If so, what do they believe they are transmitting or have transmitted to their children and grandchildren? What legacies do they think it is important to leave for the next generation? How do they want to be remembered? These are the questions the authors answer in this article, based on a qualitative research of 25 in-depth interviews conducted with three generations of older women (65–74, 75–84, and 85 and older) from Quebec.

Activism Among Older Women in Quebec, Canada: Changing the World After Age 65

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to examine senior womens involvement experience in Quebec, Canada. Study results are based on a qualitative methodology, and shed light on family history and continuity in the involvement trajectory, diversity in terms of group type and involvement practices, and gender differences in involvement. The meaning that older women attribute to their involvement is also addressed, including attitudes toward feminism. The discussion highlights the extent to which older womens involvement has been marked by their life trajectories, above and beyond their age. In sum, their involvement in the private and public spheres is quite impressive.

Which Residential Care Facilities Are Delivering Inadequate Care? A Simple Case-Finding Questionnaire

The aim of this study was to develop a case-finding tool enabling the identification of residential care facilities that provide inadequate care to impaired older persons and assess its validity. This was done using data from a recent study that involved 88 homes for the aged located in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. For that study, facility managers were interviewed for information about themselves and their residence, while quality of care was assessed with the QUALCAEE Scale for each of 301 residents of the selected homes. Multivariate regression analyses helped develop a short questionnaire that can be completed during a telephone interview with the facility manager. With 85 per cent sensitivity and 65 per cent specificity in identifying homes delivering inadequate care, this case-finding questionnaire is simple, inexpensive and shows good evidence of validity.

Elder Abuse and Neglect in Institutional Settings: The Resident's Perspective

This article strives to share research findings concerning the rights and empowerment of the elderly living in various long-term care (LTC) or residential care facilities (public and private sectors) in Quebec, Canada. Inspired by the theories of constructivism, the research aims to understand the residents’ perception of abuse, as well as the strategies they are developing to exercise their rights and liberties. Data from semistructured interviews with 20 residents, mostly very old women aged 80 to 98, are presented. Results show that residents’ perception of abuse: (1) is conditioned by sensationalistic media coverage; (2) is limited to physical mistreatment; and (3) tends to legitimize day-to-day infringements of their rights, as these “minor” violations seem inoffensive when compared to the “real” acts of violence reported in the media. Tensions that can build up among residents, sometimes resulting in intimidation or even bullying, were addressed.

L'article 21 du Code civil du Québec: ses implications sur la recherche en gérontologie

The new Quebec Civil Code came into effect on January 1,1994. This text enacted among other things the new provisions for consent to experimentation. In this article, we summarize these provisions and highlight the necessity of excluding from the majority of research protocols, people unable to consent without legal representative. Thanks to the database of a recent study, we then show that this provision can render certain gerontological studies invalid. This leads us to recommend that the Civil Code be amended in a way to allow impaired persons who are not legally represented to participate in studies that do not pose any serious risk to their health.

Aging experiences of older immigrant women in Québec (Canada): From deskilling to liberation

abstract This article examines experiences of aging of older immigrant women. The data are based on qualitative research that was conducted in Québec, Canada with 83 elderly women from different ethnocultural backgrounds (Arab, African, Haitian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Romanian, etc.). The results on how such immigrant women deal with material conditions of existence such as deskilling, aging alone, being more economically independent, and the combined effects of liberation from social and family norms associated with age and gender in the light of the migration route, will be presented. For the majority, migration opened up possibilities for personal development and self-affirmation. The findings demonstrated the relevance of the intersectional approach in understanding the complexity and social conditionings of women’s experiences of aging.

Sens et pratiques de la grand-maternité : une étude par théorisation ancrée auprès de femmes aînées québécoises

This article sets out to analyze how older women understand grandmotherhood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 elderly women from Quebec with diverse lives (widowed, married, single, with or without children) drawn from three generations (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years and over) according to principles of qualitative analysis using grounded theory. Based on a constructivist approach, results highlight the evolution of images of grandmotherhood offering the benefit of emotional, playful and comforting roles. This analysis also reveals multiple ways of being a grandmother and commitments that vary according to three principal factors: (1) the personality and life trajectory of the grandmothers; (2) the family situation and role of crisis in the family; and (3) the degree of intimacy with grandchildren. There follows a discussion on the place and role of the family in the lives of older women today.