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A point of connection? Wellbeing, the veteran identity and older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2020

Liz Brewster Open the ORCID record for Liz Brewster [Opens in a new window] ,
Brigit McWade Open the ORCID record for Brigit McWade [Opens in a new window]  and
Samuel J. A. Clark Open the ORCID record for Samuel J. A. Clark [Opens in a new window]
Liz Brewster*
Affiliation:
Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Brigit McWade
Affiliation:
Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Samuel J. A. Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Maintaining good wellbeing in older age is seen to have a positive effect on health, including cognitive and physiological functioning. This paper explores experiences of wellbeing in a particular older adult community: those who have served in the military. It aims to identify the specific challenges that ex-service personnel may have, reporting findings from a qualitative study focused on how older veterans told stories of military service and what these stories revealed about wellbeing. We used a qualitative approach; data are drawn from 30 individual interviews, and from engagement with veterans in workshops. Analysis was conducted using a data-driven constant comparison approach. Three themes are presented: how loneliness affects older adult veterans; how they draw on fictive kinship; and the role of military visual culture. Although participants had diverse experiences of military service, they felt that being a veteran connected them to a community that went beyond association with specific experiences. Using narratives of military experience to connect, both in telling stories and by stories being listened to, was vital. As veterans, older adults were able to access each other as a resource for listening and sharing. However, it was also exclusionary: civilians, because they lacked military service experience, could not empathise and be used as a resource.

Keywords

wellbeingmilitary veteranssocial support
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 9 , September 2021 , pp. 1984 - 2005
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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