Manik Deepak Gopinath
Wellbeing and place: exploring perspectives of older people in Scotland
Synopsis
A rapidly ageing post-industrial society poses numerous challenges to policy makers. In the UK, it appears that solutions to the rising cost implications of providing care & services and simultaneously meeting the policy commitment to enhancing wellbeing of older people are being sought by policy makers in the discourse of 'ageing in place' ,i.e. growing old in the familiar environment of one's domestic home environment. In current discourses of 'ageing in place' in policy and literature, there is an unspoken understanding of place as the domestic home setting. This is problematic on two accounts. Firstly, by equating notion of 'place' to a domestic home setting, it ignores people who are growing old in settings such as residential care settings. This limits the understanding of meaning and role of 'place' to domestic home environments. There is a gap in our understanding of how 'place' and 'home' is understood by people who are growing old in a variety of settings. Secondly, underpinning the discourse is the assumption that ageing in place at home enhances wellbeing and that all older people desire to age in place at home. This then begs the question of what matters to older people in terms of their wellbeing and particularly, in how place is significant for wellbeing. It is also not clear how policy makers and practitioners work around the issue of homogeneity (i.e. the assumption that all older people will have the same set of capabilities and so, desire to age in place at home). Hence, an examination of how place and wellbeing fit within the framework of ageing in place becomes essential. Consequently, this research sets out to explore both older people and practitioner views & experiences of wellbeing and attempts to promote wellbeing respectively and, particularly, in how the place or where people live influences their wellbeing.
Biography
- Currently undertaking PhD, University of Dundee (Scotland)
- Master of Planning, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, (India)
- Bachelor of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum (India)
Supervisors
Barbara Illsley
Professor Vikki Entwistle