Transactional Occupations of Older Women Aging-in-Place: Negotiating Change and Meaning

The increasing number of oldest-old adults who 'age in place' in their home raises important questions about the relationships between place, occupation, and well-being for that cohort. Much remains to be learned about how change in person and place are related to older adults' occupations and how change and adjustments through occupation influence the meaning older adults experience through their lifeworlds. Using a multiple case study approach employing in-depth interviews and observations, we examined the cases of three oldest-old women who continue to live in their own homes but face challenges of aging in place. We conceptualized core domains and processes of relations, occupations, and meanings with the perspective of transactional occupation as a backdrop. Two major conceptual categories emerged from analysis: 'meaning experienced through occupation' and 'negotiating change in the lifeworld.' The domains of meaning experienced through occupation included occupations of identity, place-centered activity, and relationships. Processes of negotiating change in the lifeworld included place integration, coordinating occupation, and situational framing.