Construct of resilience in community-living elderly people facing health-related adversities

Abstract

  The construct of resilience among community-living elderly people was investigated. Resilience is defined as a cognitive and psychological characteristic that promotes recovery and maintaining life functions in the face of health-related adversities, including illnesses. Participants (N=20, mean age 81.45 years, age range 72-92 years) were interviewed about health-related adversities they faced and their efforts and ideas for promoting recovery and maintenance. Transcripts of participants’ responses identified five constructs: Activation (interest in novelty, trust in intuition, sustaining power, and vital force), Natural pose (control, optimism, and take natural course), Purpose in life (how to live in the future, affirmative acceptance, past feelings about overcoming difficulties, and realistic reconstruction), Relationship-orientation (support seeking, willingness to serve, and foundations for relationships), and Management skills (sensitivity to information, using residual functions, industrious attitudes, and assessment). It is suggested that resilience consists of constructs that promote recovery and maintenance in a chain reaction, and that cognitive reserve is allocated to resilience.