MENTAL HEALTH OF WOMEN IN OLD AGE HOMES; A NARRATIVE INQUIRY
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Date
0023-06-12
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KINNAIRD COLLEGE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Abstract
Old home living has become quite prevalent in Pakistan in recent years. But living
in a facility is still different from living at home. Being separated from family and
other social responsibilities must have a psychological impact on the residents of
old age homes. This narrative inquiry was conducted to shed light on the impact
living at an old age home has on the psychological state of women. This research
was conducted using an interpretivist paradigm which is a part of the
philosophical assumption. Purposeful sampling method was used and five women
in two separate old age homes in Lahore were interviewed. After conducting the
interviews, the recurrent themes were "Health-related concerns", "adverse life
events", "challenges" and "coping mechanisms". These women had decided to live
here on their own due to a lack of financial security and emotional instability in
their homes. The participants ranged from ages 60 to 75 years and had been living
in these homes for over two months to 8 years. A lot of them had troubled
marriages due to being married at a very early age, were ignored by their children,
and were cast out by their families. All this led to them battling depression and
anxiety along with medical issues that come with old age like high blood pressure
and diabetes. Having led very tough lives navigating through a male-dominated
society as an alone woman they had developed certain coping mechanisms to stay
afloat. Some were healthy and some led to negative results like denial, depleted
self-esteem, and self-blaming. Lack of sociability with other residents and family
members leads to them feeling isolated and abandoned due to which hopelessness
was greatly observed. This all leads to bitterness, negativity, and toxicity
becoming an avid part of their personalities. This research intends to highlight the
mental health of these women and in turn, spread awareness about the importance
of the psychological health of the female residents of old age homes in Pakistan.
Keywords: Psychological impact, emotional instability, medical issues, isolated,
Coping Mechanisms.