ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how the version of independence and self-reliance promoted in social policy and the media makes it hard for older people to accept help as they age. Older people do value autonomy and this is understood in terms of their ability to direct everyday aspects of their lives and to have sufficient resources to fashion such choices. Viewing autonomy and relations of need in this way has significant implications for relationships of care as people age. Many older people will become unavoidably less able to manage on their own and may be at risk of refusing help or legitimate social support. Focusing on environmental and social versions of autonomy also supports the inclusion of accounts of autonomy from non-Western cultures. The Capability Approach enables us to examine what we can make of autonomy at the intersection of socially sanctioned possibilities, environmental resources, and interpersonal relationships.
