Stephens Christine, Breheny Mary, Mansvelt Juliana
a School of Psychology , Massey University , Palmerston North , New Zealand.
Psychol Health. 2015;30(6):715-31. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2014.904862. Epub 2014 Apr 29.
A policy focus on healthy ageing has been critiqued for homogenising, oppressing and neglecting the physical realities of older age. Current healthy ageing discourse places responsibility on individuals for achieving good physical health and ignores their broader circumstances. Sen's capability approach provides a basis for including the physical changes of ageing and the social environment by focusing on what older people themselves value in regards to healthy ageing. Accounts of desired living standards in 145 interviews with people aged 63-93 years in New Zealand were subjected to a thematic analysis which revealed six commonly valued 'functionings': physical comfort, social integration, contribution, security, autonomy and enjoyment. The capability to achieve the valued functionings was of high importance regardless of physical health status while this capability was often limited by social and material circumstances. The importance of an environment supportive of valued functionings provides a framework for understanding health for older adults, whatever their present physical abilities. We suggest that health psychology is in a good position to reflect critically on the impact of discourses promoting healthy ageing in the lives of older adults, and consider broader models that include understandings of resilience and capability.
一项关注健康老龄化的政策因将老年人的身体现实同质化、压迫化和忽视化而受到批评。当前关于健康老龄化的论述将实现良好身体健康的责任归咎于个人，而忽视了他们更广泛的处境。森的能力方法为纳入老龄化的身体变化和社会环境提供了一个基础，该方法侧重于老年人自身对健康老龄化的重视。对新西兰63至93岁人群进行的145次访谈中有关期望生活水平的描述进行了主题分析，结果揭示了六种普遍重视的“功能性活动”：身体舒适、社会融入、贡献、安全、自主和享受。无论身体健康状况如何，实现这些有价值的功能性活动的能力都至关重要，而这种能力往往受到社会和物质环境的限制。一个支持有价值的功能性活动的环境的重要性为理解老年人的健康提供了一个框架，无论他们目前的身体能力如何。我们认为，健康心理学处于一个有利位置，可以批判性地反思促进健康老龄化的论述对老年人生活的影响，并考虑更广泛的模式，其中包括对恢复力和能力的理解。
