Significant Life Events of Aging

Abstract

Significant life events are bound to happen at any phase in life. The aging process alone reveals recognizable life events that are inevitable, which the different biological and social theories tried to come up with explanations for. Amid the changes, which one seemed to dominate? Understanding this phenomenon is essential not only for the elderly to prepare but as well as for the significant others and people in the health care arena to understand. This study aimed to assess the significant life events that affected change among elderlies. This research is qualitative and employed interpretative phenomenology, utilizing the Hermeneutic approach in the data gathering process. The informants were the seven elderlies from the first district of Bohol, aged 60 years old and above chosen through purposive sampling. An in-depth interview was conducted to gather the data which focused on the life events experienced by the informants and how they affected change. The data were transcribed, interpreted, and analyzed to come up with the common meaning of the lived experience. The findings of the study pointed out four themes; a.) Advancing age, declining health, and vanishing resources, b.) Retirement: the inevitable moment and uncertainty of what lies ahead, c.) the loss of a loved one and the accompanying pain, and d.) The moment of change and living with life’s changes. These four themes explain the conclusion that the aging process brings about significant events such as the decline in health, uncertainty in Retirement, and the possible loss of loved ones. These events affected changed the individuals’ lives.