Failed in aging? Queering in living with dementia.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology of Aging
• Dementia Studies

Background:

• The concept of
• successful aging
• often excludes individuals with dementia, framing them as failures or
• others.
• Dementia challenges traditional notions of human identity tied to rationality and productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how living with dementia can
• queer
• (challenge) the concept of successful aging.
• To examine how individuals with dementia, from their marginalized position, can reject societal ideals of aging.
• To understand alternative, life-affirming ways of being-in-the-world developed by people with dementia.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of statements from individuals living with dementia.
• Phenomenological approach to understanding lived experiences.
• Discourse analysis of aging and personhood concepts.

Main Results:

• Individuals with dementia can challenge hegemonic ideals of aging by occupying an "outside" position.
• They develop alternative ways of being that defy expectations of rationality, autonomy, and productivity.
• Dementia's progression can lead to a re-evaluation of what it means to age successfully and be human.

Conclusions:

• Living with dementia offers a critical perspective on societal expectations of aging.
• It highlights the potential for alternative, affirming modes of existence beyond conventional definitions of successful aging.
• Rethinking aging requires centering the experiences of those with dementia to broaden our understanding of human flourishing.