The Bio‐Medical Model and Ageing: Towards an Anti‐Reductionist Model?

Abstract

In tro duc tionAnti-reductionist so cial the ory is a rel a tively 'new' but me thod i cally eclec tic body of the ory which anal y ses the com plex ity of the tri par tite the ory, pol icy and prac tice. The work of Roger Sibeon (1996, 1999 and 2004) has con trib uted to a sensi tis ing frame work in re gard to a so ci ol ogy of knowl edge: gen er at ing epistemic nar ra tives for the o ret i cal con struc tion and re-con struc tion, con trast ing to a sub stan tive so ci ology for knowl edge based upon meth od olog i cal gen er ali sa tions for em pir i cal or prac ti cal use: al though the of/for dis tinc tion is not in flex i ble as there are cir cumstances when they form a pro cess of what Powell and Longino (2001) call 'ar tic u lation': a united or con nected anal y sis of/for theo ris ing and prac tice.

Watching television in later life: a deeper understanding of TV viewing in the homes of old people and in geriatric care contexts

“…They have tacit knowledge that is invisible to others and hence difficult to grasp and which is a part of the social context in which their use of technology takes place. This view is in agreement with an anti‐reductionist position showing that social life is processual, marked by fluidity, complexity and contradiction (1), and with the theory that technology becomes integrated into someone’s everyday life by going through a process of social negotiation and domestication (2). This means that social interaction, including the use of technology, is both predictable and unpredictable with unintended consequences.…”

The Organisation of Care for Older People in Rural Communities: Two Case Studies from Slovenia

“…intergenerational or other social relationships, a life course perspective on rural ageing, rural policies and programmes, the impact of technology on older people living in rural areas, and demographic features of rural ageing) was significantly lower. The review supports those authors who warned against the predominant biomedical discourse of dependency and frailty in later life (Powell and Owen 2005;Powell and Biggs 2000). As suggested by Burholt and Dobbs (2012), the focus on other, non-medical aspects of ageing, including the organisation of care for older people in rural communities, is necessary in order to understand more comprehensively the conditions in which they live.…”

A narrative literature review of older people's cancer pain experience

“…). Secondy, there needs to be greater clarity about what is being studied as older people are not a homogeneous group but present a range of ages, cultures and belief systems (Biggs & Powell , Powell & Owen , Vincent ). Third, researchers need to take account of the potential for ambiguities in attitudes to ageing and the illness experience, which create barriers to researching the healthcare experiences and needs of older people.…”

“…Older people need to be represented in qualitative and quantitative research studies of cancer pain so that the impact of having pain and living with pain can be better understood (Gibson & Helme 2000, 2001, Gagliese 2009, Gott et al 2011. Secondy, there needs to be greater clarity about what is being studied as older people are not a homogeneous group but present a range of ages, cultures and belief systems (Biggs & Powell 2001, Powell & Owen 2005, Vincent 2007). Third, researchers need to take account of the potential for ambiguities in attitudes to ageing and the illness experience, which create barriers to researching the healthcare experiences and needs of older people.…”