Continuity after a stroke: implications of life-course disruption in old age.
Life-course disruption caused by a stroke and subsequent attempts on the part of stoke victims to restore continuity was explored through qualitative research with a sample of 216 persons. This research suggests: 1) that theory in gerontology could be deepened by framing continuity to include discontinuous experience in late life; and 2) that research on what elderly persons themselves make of continuity--how they perpetuate it or recreate it and the obstacles they perceive in doing so--may inform our understanding of the experience of old age and lead to applications in the practice of gerontology that address the disruption illness poses for people's lives.
Becker
G
G
Institute for Health and Aging, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco 94143-0612.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control