Alternate roles for the elderly: an example from a Midwestern retirement community

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Anthropology

Background:

• Growing population of healthy older adults face retirement, leading to a
• roleless role
• due to lack of age-appropriate expectations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the development of alternate roles and normative systems in age-homogeneous environments.
• Examine how retirement communities facilitate adaptation to aging.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of data from a small Midwestern retirement community.
• Observation and resident interviews to identify behavioral systems and valued personal qualities.

Main Results:

• A normative system emerged valuing personal qualities (trust, friendliness, concern) over past achievements.
• Good adjustment to aging linked to resilience, lack of self-pity, mental alertness, helpfulness, and community responsibility.
• New roles developed: alternate work (committees, volunteering), family (supportive relations), and leisure.

Conclusions:

• Retirement communities can foster adaptive strategies for aging.
• Development of new roles and community-focused values aids successful aging and structures daily life.