THE MEANING AND PRACTICE OF SELF-CARE BY OLDER ADULTS - A QUALITATIVEASSESSMENT

Drawing on material from qualitative interviews, this article examines self-care as a response to physical symptoms commonly experienced by older people. The analysis indicates that older persons approach, inte rpret, and treat their symptoms within both biomedical and psychosocia l frameworks. Self-care responses appear to be learned early in life, reinforced throughout the life cycle, and formed in consultation with professional as well as lay persons. Symptom responses reflect and rei nforce the meaning of social relations in individuals' lives, providin g a symbolic medium for the assessment of present and past relationshi ps, cross-generational connections, and past troubles and issues of pe rsonal identity. Findings suggest that categorizing sources of care in to professional, informal, or self overly simplifies the symptom exper ience of older adults. Self-care goes beyond the acknowledgement of di scomfort and subsequent treatment of symptoms; it involves the represe ntation and interpretation of the self.