IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ariqol/v14y2019i1d10.1007_s11482-017-9580-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resilient Senior Russian-Australian Voices: “We Live to Sing and Sing to Live”

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Southcott

    (Monash University, Clayto Campus)

  • Rohan Nethsinghe

    (RMIT University)

Abstract

This research examines the understandings and meanings of shared music making held by the members of the Young Hearts Russian choir in Melbourne, Australia and its impact on quality of life. The elderly participants in this interpretative phenomenological case data are first generation migrants who speak most strongly in their first language (Russian). Individual semi-structured interviews were undertaken with nine people and focus group discussion involved all 28 choir members. Data collected in their first language revealed stories of survival and resilience in the face of adversity. The findings are reported under two broad themes: Maintaining independence and resilience (Subthemes: The importance of participation, Maintaining ‘face’, Overcoming illness and disability, and Becoming a family), and Learning, rehearsing and performing music. Singing together enhances quality of life, combats social isolation, fosters resilience and sense of autonomy, and allows participants to access inner resources to face the challenges of life. Supported and enacted via musical and social engagement, the participants continue to be resilient in older age as they are faced with the consequences of ageing, particularly infirmity and isolation. They remain protective of their independence and resistant to relegation to residential care.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Southcott & Rohan Nethsinghe, 2019. "Resilient Senior Russian-Australian Voices: “We Live to Sing and Sing to Live”," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(1), pages 39-58, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:14:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s11482-017-9580-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-017-9580-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-017-9580-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11482-017-9580-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    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. Farquhar, Morag, 1995. "Elderly people's definitions of quality of life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 41(10), pages 1439-1446, November.
    2. Ruut Veenhoven, 2000. "The Four Qualities of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-39, March.
    3. Shain, Yossi & Barth, Aharon, 2003. "Diasporas and International Relations Theory," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 57(3), pages 449-479, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Venturini, Alessandra & Mosso, Cristina & Ricci, Andrea, 2022. "Cultural Policies for Migrant Inclusion: A Survey," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202216, University of Turin.
    2. Christian WEISMAYER, 2022. "Applied Research in Quality of Life: A Computational Literature Review," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1433-1458, June.

    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. Michael E. Cummings & Alan Gamlen, 2019. "Diaspora engagement institutions and venture investment activity in developing countries," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 2(4), pages 289-313, December.
    2. Sadiq R. Younes & Bruno Marques & Jacqueline McIntosh, 2024. "Public Spaces for Older People: A Review of the Relationship between Public Space to Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Bjornskov, Christian & Dreher, Axel & Fischer, Justina AV & Schnellenbach, Jan, 2009. "On the relation between income inequality and happiness: Do fairness perceptions matter?," MPRA Paper 19494, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Anna Kovacs-Györi & Pablo Cabrera-Barona & Bernd Resch & Michael Mehaffy & Thomas Blaschke, 2019. "Assessing and Representing Livability through the Analysis of Residential Preference," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Fatih Terzi & Handan Türkoğlu & Fulin Bölen & Perver Baran & Tayfun Salihoğlu, 2015. "Residents’ Perception of Cultural Activities as Quality of Life in Istanbul," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 211-234, May.
    6. Dong, Han & Zhang, Jun & Cirillo, Cinzia, 2019. "Exploring, understanding, and modeling the reciprocal relation between leisure and subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 813-824.
    7. Chang-Ming Hsieh, 2009. "Health, Quality of Care and Quality of Life: A Case of Frail Older Adults," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(1), pages 61-73, October.
    8. Hu, Shu & Das, Dhiman, 2019. "Quality of life among older adults in China and India: Does productive engagement help?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 144-153.
    9. Gennaro Punzo & Rosalia Castellano & Mirko Buonocore, 2018. "Job Satisfaction in the “Big Four” of Europe: Reasoning Between Feeling and Uncertainty Through CUB Models," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 205-236, August.
    10. Valerie Møller & Benjamin J. Roberts & Dalindyebo Zani, 2018. "The National Wellbeing Index in the IsiXhosa Translation: Focus Group Discussions on How South Africans View the Quality of Their Society," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 167-193, January.
    11. Manfred Garhammer, 2002. "Pace of Life and Enjoyment of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 217-256, September.
    12. Felix N. Fernando & Dennis R. Cooley, 2016. "An Oil Boom’s Effect on Quality of Life (QoL): Lessons from Western North Dakota," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 11(4), pages 1083-1115, December.
    13. Ruut Veenhoven, 2003. "Notions of Art-of-Living," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 345-349, December.
    14. Christian Bjørnskov & Axel Dreher & Justina Fischer, 2008. "Cross-country determinants of life satisfaction: exploring different determinants across groups in society," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 30(1), pages 119-173, January.
    15. Artjoms Ivlevs & Roswitha M. King, 2014. "Emigration, remittances and corruption experience of those staying behind," Working Papers 20141411, Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Bristol.
    16. Michel Beine & Khalid Sekkat, 2014. "Emigration and origin country's institutions: does the destination country matter?," Middle East Development Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 20-44, January.
    17. Ruut Veenhoven, 2011. "World Database of Happiness Example of a focused ‘Findings Archive’," RatSWD Working Papers 169, German Data Forum (RatSWD).
    18. Isabel Neira & Fernando Bruna & Marta Portela & Adela García-Aracil, 2018. "Individual Well-Being, Geographical Heterogeneity and Social Capital," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1067-1090, April.
    19. Eduardo Cuenca García & José Rodríguez Martín & Margarita Navarro Pabsdorf, 2010. "The Features of Development in the Pacific Countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 99(3), pages 469-485, December.
    20. Piet Ouweneel, 2002. "Social Security and Well-Being of the Unemployed in 42 Nations," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 167-192, June.

    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:spr:ariqol:v:14:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s11482-017-9580-1. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.