ABSTRACT
Later life, particularly the period after the age of 75, has been identified by policy-makers as a particularly difficult time ‘to manage’. The individual has been excluded from the labour market for many years, health starts to decline if it has not been in decline already, family and friends are dying off, and the individual may find her/himself more and more isolated and possibly less capable of ‘managing’ on her/his own. The over 75s have received particular policy attraction because they are expected to comprise 47 per cent of the over 65s by the turn of the century (CSO, 1985). Hence, a larger proportion of the population will need ‘managing’ help. But unfortunately, the ‘management’ problems of this group are usually seen solely in terms of their extreme age. Previous management problems are often ignored, as are previous experiences of ‘managing’. ‘Managing’ is usually thought of as something done to this group of people rather than done by them. Hence, ‘managing’ in old age is usually perceived in terms of the notion of ‘dependency’. Yet ‘dependency’ is really just one form of ‘managing’. Most people experience ‘management’ problems throughout their lives and have constructed strategies for dealing with them. In trying to help older people ‘to manage’, it is important to understand the individual’s own perception and attitudes towards such an experience.
