Resilience among very old men and women

Abstract

High resilience is characterised by qualities of equanimity, perseverance, self-reliance, meaningfulness and existential aloneness. The aims of the present study were both to explore how the oldest of old men and women with estimated high resilience talk about experiences of becoming and being old, and to discuss the analysis of their narratives in terms of the foundational concepts of the Resilience Scale (RS). Thematic narrative interviews collected from 24 old people were analysed using content analysis, and the following themes were identified: feeling connected, feeling independent and creating meaning. The themes can be seen as congruent with the underlying concepts of the Resilience Scale; however, the themes were markedly gendered. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative research may contribute to a new angle of approach towards our understanding of resilience. In nursing practice it is of importance to both stimulate social contacts in the present and listen to narratives from the past to increase resilience among the oldest patients.