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‘I Cannot See Flowers but I Can Smell Them’

The Relation of Age and Gender to Self-Reported Coping Strategies Among Older Adults with Visual Impairment

North Carolina State University, USA, eklee{at}unity.ncsu.edu

Mark Brennan

Lighthouse International, New York, USA

We examined self-reported coping strategies used by older visually impaired adults as related to age and gender. Narrative data from two previous studies of adaptation to vision impairment (n = 155 and n = 343, respectively) were analyzed with qualitative methods. Results indicated that both age and gender were related to the coping strategies reported. The old-old were less motivated to use rehabilitation training and withdrew socially. Women were more likely to utilize non-family social supports, while men relied on immediate family. These findings underscore the complexity of needs in the older visually impaired population. Implications of these findings for practitioners working with this population are discussed.

Key Words: adaptation • chronic illness • coping • older adults • vision loss

Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 1, No. 4, 389-411 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/14733250260620838


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