| Review: Taking care of yourself in later life: a qualitative study into the use of non-prescription medicines by people aged 60+. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20164167 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The last 40 years have witnessed substantial changes to the experience of later life. Health and life expectancy have improved and the emergence of a putative third age has allowed post-working life to move beyond being a residual social category to become an arena in which later life lifestyles can be constructed. Greater emphasis is now placed on expectations of self-agency and choice. Allied to this is the growing role of consumerism as a way of organizing key aspects of social life. Not only do these changes place increased emphasis on individual responsibility for health, but they also engage individuals in various forms of health consumerism.This study draws on these aspects of contemporary society to provide an explanatory framework for understanding older people's engagement with, and consumption of non-prescription medicines. We present a qualitative study in which we interviewed 22 men and women aged 60 plus who were purchasing or interested in purchasing non-prescription medicines, including complementary and alternative medicines. Our findings suggest that the use of non-prescription medicines is both pluralistic and makeshift. Moreover, while this pluralism led to tensions with conventional bio-medicine, conventional bio-medicine still maintained the legitimacy of its knowledge base. Self-care using non-prescription medicines appeared more governed by hope than by evidence or knowledge of the treatments concerned.We conclude that such pluralism of approach reflects the growing consumerism in health and self-care and that older people may in fact be similar to other age groups in terms of their approach to such commodification. |
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Authors:
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Miranda Leontowitsch; Paul Higgs; Fiona Stevenson; Ian Rees Jones |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Health (London, England : 1997) Volume: 14 ISSN: 1461-7196 ISO Abbreviation: Health (London) Publication Date: 2010 Mar |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-02-18 Completed Date: 2010-06-10 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9800465 Medline TA: Health (London) Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 213-31 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Division of Community Health Sciences, St George's, University of London. mleontow@sgul.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Aged Aged, 80 and over Aging / physiology*, psychology* Attitude to Health* Decision Making Female Humans Interviews as Topic Life Expectancy Male Middle Aged Qualitative Research Self Care* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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