Older women and the meaning of health

Health promotion has become an essential component of comprehensive health care, especially considering the growing female population. Older women, in particular, have demonstrated an increasing need for preventive services or health care maintenance and promotion. These needs consist of services provided by health care professionals that can help women meet their own self-care demands. However, before the health care needs of women can be met, they first must be identified. Using Orem's Self-Care Theory, a three-part qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in an attempt to understand what health actually means to older women and what types of health behaviors they feel are important to maintain or promote health. Three different groups of women age 55 and older with a variety of education, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds were interviewed. Their responses were analyzed carefully, and each participant was interviewed a second time to validate recurrent themes regarding their statements about health. Results of the interviews with the three different groups of women were surprisingly similar. Although each participant had a unique application of their definition of health, there were five recurrent themes identified by 75% to 80% of the women. The themes were interactions with a being greater than themselves, acceptance of self, humor, flexibility, and being other-centered. Numerous examples supported the five themes. In addition, several "healthy behaviors" also were identified. Based on the findings of this 3-year study, older women seem to have their own perspectives on what health actually means and how they can best monitor or maintain their health. While the list is slightly different than the traditional one prescribed by health care professionals, perhaps it is time to encourage older adults to become more of a partner in their care. These healthy behaviors could be incorporated easily into the treatment and management plans and thereby reflect both parties' definitions of what it means to be healthy. Health care professionals must continue to ask older adults about their view of health and encourage their partnership in health-related issues. All individuals, no matter what age, are being encouraged to assume more responsibility for their own personal health, and by including older adults in the decision-making process, this partnership can be strengthened.