Resilience Among Community-Living Old-Old Elderly: Focusing on Growth

Abstract

Background: People experience a range of stressors related to the decline of health in mind and body. This research seeks to explore how the elderly deploy resilience to recover their health in the face of stressful life events, in particular, how they experience moments of growth away from adverse events, and what the turning points are for that growth. ?Methods: In this study, a two-hour interview was conducted with an 85-year-old Japanese man with four diagnosed illnesses such as multiple brain infarction, living alone in public housing in a suburban area. Based on Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA), a word-to-word record was fractionated and categorized, and the relationship was analyzed. We obtained consent from the Research Ethics Committee at J. F. Oberlin University. Findings: The process took place over three stages: Stage 1, where the subject faced difficulty and he deployed both positive and negative interpretations; Stage 2, where the subject ascertained the benefits and disadvantages of available social resources, and he used the good aspects of them to move into actions. They were undergirded by psychological momentum and energy; and Stage 3, where the subject took measures to change his lifestyle towards a healthier one. ?Discussion: Through this research, we learned how resilience is deployed as an elderly person with illnesses living alone improves his QOL.