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Journals / Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 15 Issue: 3

Beyond Independence: Experiences of Ageing Well Among Community-Dwelling Oldest-Old Adults

Aslı Gözde Akış(Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Gerontoloji Bölümü)0000-0003-2141-2787
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Publication Date
2026-10-08
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

These findings broaden conventional understandings of ageing well by foregrounding the lived experiences of the oldest-old and support gerontological approaches that recognise both individual agency and the relational and contextual conditions that enable it.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Objective: To explore how community-dwelling adults aged 80 years and older experience ageing well and the meanings they attribute to this experience.
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Key Findings & Data:Twelve adults aged 82–100 years (six women and six men) were recruited using criterion and snowball sampling.
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Conclusion & Impact:These findings broaden conventional understandings of ageing well by foregrounding the lived experiences of the oldest-old and support gerontological approaches that recognise both individual agency and the relational and contextual conditions that enable it.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:ageing well · oldest-old · interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Objective: To explore how community-dwelling adults aged 80 years and older experience ageing well and the meanings they attribute to this experience. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Twelve adults aged 82–100 years (six women and six men) were recruited using criterion and snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide, conducted in participants' homes, and analysed according to IPA principles. Results: Five interconnected themes emerged: living life on one's own terms, growing old without feeling alone, accepting life through faith, remaining active and productive, and finding meaning in life. Participants described ageing well not as the absence of disease or as complete independence, but as maintaining agency while receiving support when needed, preserving meaningful relationships, adapting to age-related changes, and sustaining a sense of purpose in everyday life. Ageing well was experienced as a dynamic process shaped by the interplay among individual capacities, relationships, and the environment. Conclusion: Ageing well among the oldest-old can coexist with age-related limitations and the need for support. Rather than depending on complete independence, it involves continuing to live in personally meaningful ways as circumstances change. These findings broaden conventional understandings of ageing well by foregrounding the lived experiences of the oldest-old and support gerontological approaches that recognise both individual agency and the relational and contextual conditions that enable it.

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Cite This Article

Akış, A. G. (2026). Beyond Independence: Experiences of Ageing Well Among Community-Dwelling Oldest-Old Adults. Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, Volume: 15 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.53424/balikesirsbd.2013961

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