Strengths and support of older people affected by precarity in South Louisiana

Background: Few empirical studies have examined strengths and support of older people in circumstances of precarity. A better understanding of this problem has the potential to contribute to the development of care planning and delivery.

Purpose: To investigate how older people deal with episodes of precarity in South Louisiana.

Method: More than 300 hr of participant observation and interviews were conducted with 20 predominantly older African American women in a housing complex for low-income older persons and two senior citizen centres.

Results: The findings demonstrate five central negative conditions of precarity that older people had to manage: (a) loss and discontinuity of home-based healthcare services, (b) stress after loss or disruption of social support, (c) problems of poverty, (d) cognitive impairment and declining health and (e) stress of eviction. Strengths and support that older people used were as follows: (a) spiritual faith, (b) psychological strengths, (c) spiritual relationships, (d) family support, (e) friendships of love and friendships of helpfulness, (f) care and support performed by home-based services, (g) senior centre and housing complex activities, (h) church memberships and activities, and (i) grocery store and café contacts.

Conclusion: Home-based services were not sufficient to prevent and reduce precarity for older people because of a lack of and discontinuities in these services.

Implications for practice: This study adds to the literature about precarity among community-based older people by demonstrating gaps in care support and medication access. The findings suggest that ongoing state funding and support by home-based services are necessary to support frail older people in precarious living conditions to survive and handle stressful life events by reducing vulnerability and enhancing strengths and supportive resources of older people.