Health as continuity and balance in life

Research on immigrant health emphasizes that the elderly are more vulnerabl e than other age groups in many immigrant populations. This study describes the meanings of health, illness, and disease for Iranian elderly immigrant s in Sweden and their relationships with life disruptions. Analysis of inte rviews using an interprerive-phenomenological method illustrates that the p articipants experience health as continuity and balance in life. Any disrup tion of this balance creates a sense of illness that is only partially rela ted to the emergence of disease. Participants did nor view health and disea se as polarized. Rather disease is just one component among many that may d isrupt the experience of health. Health is perceived as a sense of well-bei ng, can be achieved in spite of disease, and can be disrupted even in the a bsence of disease. This description of the meaning of health, disease, and illness contrasts with the Western biomedical perspective and is similar in its holism to various non-Western medical systems and complementary approa ches. This knowledge can foster more culturally sensitive care.