IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v64y2007i8p1692-1703.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

'Getting on with life': The experiences of older people using complementary health care

Author

Listed:
  • Cartwright, Tina

Abstract

Surprisingly few studies have explored the use of complementary medicine amongst older persons and existent research is typically restricted to those who can afford private treatment. The aim of the current qualitative study is to explore the experiences of older people using subsidised complementary health care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 regular attendees of a single centre offering low cost complementary health care to the over-60's in London, UK. The sample was randomly drawn from the patient register and included patients from mixed social and ethnic backgrounds. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The core theme underlying participants' accounts related to the desire to 'get on with life' and maintain physical and social functioning within the constraints imposed by chronic conditions. Consequently, the physiological effects of treatment were highly valued, particularly reductions in pain and improved mobility. Psychological effects operated at a more subtle level, influencing perceptions of health and well-being. The empowering nature of treatment enabled participants to regain a sense of control over their health, which reduced anxiety and facilitated 'normal' functioning. The whole package care was perceived as an important source of support and reassurance in contrast to the impersonal experiences of orthodox medicine. Complementary health care was therefore perceived as an important adjunct to orthodox medicine, particularly in terms of its impact on everyday functioning and well-being. Implications for the quality of life of older people with complex health needs and limited access to private complementary health care are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Cartwright, Tina, 2007. "'Getting on with life': The experiences of older people using complementary health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1692-1703, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:64:y:2007:i:8:p:1692-1703
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277-9536(06)00613-7
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Williams, Allison, 1998. "Therapeutic landscapes in holistic medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 46(9), pages 1193-1203, May.
    2. Kelner, Merrijoy & Wellman, Beverly, 1997. "Health care and consumer choice: Medical and alternative therapies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 203-212, July.
    3. Bryant, Lucinda L. & Corbett, Kitty K. & Kutner, Jean S., 2001. "In their own words: a model of healthy aging," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 53(7), pages 927-941, October.
    4. Greene, Michele G. & Adelman, Ronald D. & Friedmann, Erika & Charon, Rita, 1994. "Older patient satisfaction with communication during an initial medical encounter," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 1279-1288, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chiu, Stephen W.K. & Ko, Lisanne S.F. & Lee, Rance P.L., 2005. "Decolonization and the movement for institutionalization of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong: a political process perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 1045-1058, September.
    2. Désirée Schoenherr & Jane Paulick & Bernhard M Strauss & Anne-Katharina Deisenhofer & Brian Schwartz & Julian A Rubel & Wolfgang Lutz & Ulrich Stangier & Uwe Altmann, 2019. "Identification of movement synchrony: Validation of windowed cross-lagged correlation and -regression with peak-picking algorithm," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-24, February.
    3. Allison Williams & Peter Kitchen, 2012. "Sense of Place and Health in Hamilton, Ontario: A Case Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(2), pages 257-276, September.
    4. Dodds, Sarah & Bulmer, Sandy & Murphy, Andrew, 2014. "Consumer value in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) health care services," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 218-229.
    5. Völker, Sebastian & Kistemann, Thomas, 2013. "Reprint of: “I'm always entirely happy when I'm here!” Urban blue enhancing human health and well-being in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 141-152.
    6. Michael S. Goldstein, 2002. "The Emerging Socioeconomic and Political Support for Alternative Medicine in the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 583(1), pages 44-63, September.
    7. Éva Rásky & Willibald-Julius Stronegger & Wolfgang Freidl, 1999. "Nutzung unkonventioneller Heilverfahren bei Krebserkrankungen," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 44(1), pages 22-29, January.
    8. Sixsmith, J. & Sixsmith, A. & Fänge, A. Malmgren & Naumann, D. & Kucsera, C. & Tomsone, S. & Haak, M. & Dahlin-Ivanoff, S. & Woolrych, R., 2014. "Healthy ageing and home: The perspectives of very old people in five European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-9.
    9. Buzinde, Christine N. & Yarnal, Careen, 2012. "Therapeutic landscapes and postcolonial theory: A theoretical approach to medical tourism," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(5), pages 783-787.
    10. Andrews, Gavin J. & Shaw, David, 2010. ""So we started talking about a beach in Barbados": Visualization practices and needle phobia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(10), pages 1804-1810, November.
    11. Bentur, Netta & Gross, Revital & Brammli-Greenberg, Shuli, 2004. "Satisfaction with and access to community care of the chronically ill in Israel's health system," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 129-136, February.
    12. Karolin Becker & Peter Zweifel, 2008. "Age and Choice in Health Insurance," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 1(1), pages 27-40, January.
    13. Carroll, Brídín & Walsh, Kieran & Scharf, Thomas & O'Donovan, Diarmuid & Keogh, Sinéad, 2023. "Positive health and ageing policies for older Irish travellers and older people who have experienced homelessness in Ireland: Life-course meanings and determinants," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    14. Jaswant Guzder & Meenakshi Krishna, 2005. "Mind the Gap," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 17(2), pages 121-138, September.
    15. Pedersen, Inge Kryger & Baarts, Charlotte, 2010. "'Fantastic hands' - But no evidence: The construction of expertise by users of CAM," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(6), pages 1068-1075, September.
    16. Ladda Thiamwong & Michael S. McManus & Jom Suwanno, 2013. "Development of the Thai healthy aging model: A grounded theory study," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 256-261, June.
    17. Hoyez, Anne-Cécile, 2007. "The 'world of yoga': The production and reproduction of therapeutic landscapes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 112-124, July.
    18. Bénédicte H. Apouey, 2017. "Conditions économiques et définitions subjectives du « bien vieillir »: Résultats d'une enquête quantitative," PSE Working Papers halshs-01475942, HAL.
    19. Anna Staniewska, 2022. "Gardens of Historic Mental Health Hospitals and Their Potential Use for Green Therapy Purposes," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, September.
    20. Katherine N. Irvine & Sara L. Warber & Patrick Devine-Wright & Kevin J. Gaston, 2013. "Understanding Urban Green Space as a Health Resource: A Qualitative Comparison of Visit Motivation and Derived Effects among Park Users in Sheffield, UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:64:y:2007:i:8:p:1692-1703. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.