La souffrance et les vieux
The experience of suffering of elderly people lacking physical autonomy and who live in a CHSLD includes two dimensions: that of suffering and of being elderly. The two are closely linked. My hypothesis about the meaning of suffering takes into account the sense that the elderly give and have given to their lives. The meaning of suffering depends on the meaning of their life. Depending on whether one is an individualist, an agnostic humanist or a religious humanist, the meaning of suffering will take a particular form. This thesis addresses these two parts of the research problem and provides a portrait of the elderly in 2008, proposes a theoretical basis for the research project, and establishes a link between the meaning of suffering of the elderly and the meaning they give to their lives. The life of elderly people living in a CHSLD is discontinuous with their prior existence: their values and lifestyle are brought into question. Their presence in a substitute residence calls for reflection on the place of the elderly in contemporary individualistic society and the nature and provision of humane services. How should one reconcile individualism and humanism? How can one live with a loss of autonomy, general suffering, and a certain isolation? There are as many questions that challenge society with regards to the role of the family, and the care that the elderly justly deserve. The elderly need enlightened care givers and health policies that make residences places of real living and care; this must be a collective responsibility in the face of growing social exclusion.
Suffering elderly life sens meaning humanism individualism CHSLD care