From the Inside Looking Out: Competing Ideas about Growing Old

Perspectives from the elderly on the aging experience beyond what gerontology covers are collected in this study of the subjective experiences of older persons. Focus groups and questionnaires are among the research methods used to gather information from diverse Canadian cultural groups, including individuals in the black and Mi' Maq communities. The particular social challenges that elderly people must face are discussed in detail, including living arrangements, income, transportation, sexuality, leisure, education, religion, healthcare, suicide, culture, and ageism. Personal stories illustrate the contrast between the medical conceptions of aging and what is really experienced.