Having a sense of meaning in life is known to boost our sense of well-being. This is true especially for the elderly, since existential questions gain an increasingly important role with age.
- Text Nina Venhe | Photos Mostphotos and Suvi-Maria Saarelainen
“I quite enjoy talking about death rather than talking about gadgets and devices I don’t understand anything about. By all means, let's keep talking about death.”
This was the response of one elderly person to University Lecturer Suvi-Maria Saarelainen’s question of whether they could talk about death as part of her study. The response also summarised the attitude many older people have towards death.
For a couple of years now, Saarelainen has been collecting data from among the elderly. Several articles dealing with older people's experiences of having a sense of meaning in life and their ideas about death and well-being have already been published from this data, with more to come.
The studies have also explored whether technology could assist the elderly in their everyday life, while at the same time reducing feelings of loneliness.
A familiar topic
“We researchers were told to be careful when talking about death in our interviews. This is why we asked the interviewees if death, too, could be discussed at some point.”
Saarelainen was surprised by how eager the interviewees were.
“It quickly became clear that the interviewees were not afraid of death, or to talk about it. On the contrary, they were grateful to have someone willing to talk about death with them, since their own family sometimes preferred to avoid the topic. “
Although the themes of the interview pertained to their everyday life and familiar topics, death emerged as the easiest.
“One of the interviewees told me that they were anxious about the interviews but were relieved upon hearing that death would be one of the topics, feeling like they had expertise in the matter. Death was, generally speaking, regarded as a pleasant topic to talk about - after all, all of the interviewees were over 90 years old, and death was a part of their life in many ways.”
When older people wish to talk about their own death with their family, the topic sometimes gets ignored. According Saarelainen, that it is a shame and might leave the elderly feeling lonely.
“Of course, it is understandable that family members may find the topic uncomfortable and difficult. However, planning one’s own funeral or making sure that certain documents are in order before death is important for older people. In a way, those are among the final things where they still have agency and they feel like they are in control of matters pertaining to their own life.”
Need to share thoughts
When we get older, the experience of meaningfulness in life involves struggles and elements of crisis that pertain to our changing identity, and we also need to experience life as a logical whole.
“Older people often have a strong need to discuss their longing to be with other people, coming to terms with death and their decline in physical capacity, but not everyone has the opportunity. Many old people feel lonely and excluded from the modern world, and they’d like to have someone their age to talk to.”
Finland's elderly population is growing. At the same time, resources in elderly care are being cut, and fewer and fewer nurses have time to talk with their customers or to otherwise be there for them. Studies also show that nurses don’t always recognise older people's need to search for a sense of meaning in their life.
“It is essential to better recognise the possibilities offered by technology for elderly services and home care.”
With this observation in mind, one of Saarelainen’s studies focused on how technology could support the elderly in their need to discuss existential questions, and how technology could increase social interaction among the elderly, who often have some physical limitations.
Technology facilitates interaction
“The World Health Organisation, WHO, has suggested the use of technology as a tool to support older people’s feelings of social inclusion. One such tool is audiovisual technology.”
Saarelainen tested the use of Service TV in her study. Similar to Skype, Service TV utilises audiovisual technology, and it is used, e.g., by hospitals for rehabilitation and activation of home care customers.
“Earlier studies have shown that older people are quick to learn to use this kind of technology in their everyday life. Audiovisual technology has reduced experiences of loneliness and isolation among the elderly, and their families and relatives also regard audiovisual technology as a good addition to home care.”
In Saarelainen’s study, even the over 90-year-old interviewees quickly learned how to use new technology.
“Based on this study, I can say that technology is an untapped resource in home care. Earlier examples of successful use of audiovisual technology include situations where older people are reminded that it's time to take their medication and participate in physical activities. During the course of my study, it became clear that audiovisual technology also works for more in-depth conversations and for keeping company.”
Creating a sense of community with the help of technology
Saarelainen points out that audiovisual technology doesn’t, of course, remove a person's longing for physical contact, but she finds it a good supplement that should be developed further in the context of home care for the elderly.
“And the elderly should be included in this development. I couldn’t help but noticing that service providers don’t necessarily understand the potential of their technology, and how well people can learn to use it.”
Saarelainen used audiovisual technology to conduct her interviews with groups of home rehabilitation customers in different hospitals. She was afterwards very moved by how closely knit each group became as a result of the interviews.
“Many said that it is impossible to make new friends at their age, but thanks to audiovisual technology, they were proven wrong. For some of the participants, Service TV provided the interviewees with access to a family-like community. For example, one recent widower got plenty of peer support when the pain of losing one's spouse was discussed in the group.”
Although the conversations were mediated by technology, themes that were common and important to all created a sense of community.
“It was almost like magic.”
Living life to the fullest until the very end
“They aren’t just waiting for death, they wish to live life to the fullest.”
This is how one of the interviewees described their feelings. Although death is a natural thing in many older people's lives, they felt the need to point out that their lives are about more than just solitary waiting for death. There are still various dimensions in their lives.
Saarelainen says that it's a shame that the Finnish language only has one word for loneliness.
“In English, it can be described as loneliness, solitude or isolation, all of them having a slightly different meaning. Being alone isn’t always something negative and it doesn’t cause anxiety in all older people, either. Sometimes, it is a normal and preferred part of life.”
It is also good to keep in mind that older people can feel lonely and isolated even if they are surrounded by many people. According to Saarelainen, interaction and the importance of personal relations in general were highlighted in each interview session.
“We all have the need to feel meaningfulness in life, and to feel like we are part of some community, no matter how old we are.”
Photo captions are passages from interviews conducted by Suvi-Maria Saarelainen.
Read more on the theme of loneliness:
Loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic takes many forms
Large international study looks at coping and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic
