Life memories and the ability to act: the meaning of autonomy and participation for older people
when living with chronic illness
Sammanfattning
There is a lack of knowledge about how older people living
with chronic illness describe the meaning of autonomy
and participation, indicating a risk for reduced
autonomy and participation in their everyday life. The
purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of
autonomy and participation among older people living
with chronic illness in accordance with their lived experience.
The design was descriptive with a phenomenological
approach guided by Giorgi’s descriptive
phenomenological psychological method. Purposive sampling
was used, and 16 older people living with chronic
illness who lived in an ordinary home participated in
individual interviews. The findings showed that the
meaning of autonomy and participation among the older
people emerged when it was challenged and evoked
emotional considerations of the lived experience of having
a chronic illness. It involved living a life apart, yet
still being someone who is able, trustworthy and given
responsibility - still being seen and acknowledged. The
meaning of autonomy and participation was derived
through life memories and used by the older people in
everyday life for adjustment or adaption to the present
life and the future. Our conclusion is that autonomy and
participation were considered in relation to older people’s
life memories in the past, in their present situation and
also their future wishes. Ability or disability is of less
importance than the meaning of everyday life among
older people. We suggest using fewer labels for limitations
in everyday life when caring for older people and
more use of the phrase ‘ability to act’ in different ways,
based on older people’s descriptions of the meaning of
autonomy and participation.