Cultural Meaning of Aging Among Puerto Ricans 

Aging is often met with reservations as this entails dependence and lack of agency. The degree of family ties also affects the perception of aging with countries having lesser family bond such as United States preferring to send the elderly to healthcare institutions such as nursing homes. The qualitative study of Todorova and colleagues involving Puerto Rican old adults illustrates that economic, political, and cultural factors affect the perception of aging.

The study investigated the lived experience and the meaning attached by Puerto Ricans on aging.

The study was borne out of the scarcity of studies analyzing the cultural perception of aging as related to the economic and political situation of old adults. To address the research question, the authors used the qualitative approach. The variables explored in the study are lived experience and concept of aging, the economic and political situation of Puerto Ricans, and the cultural beliefs and practices that affect the perception of the aging. Since the study is qualitative, there is no independent or dependent variable.

The study is one of hypothesis-building rather than hypothesis-testing. It is also worth noting that unlike in quantitative study, the goal of the qualitative study is to explore the experience, insights and meanings formed of the respondents in relation to the subject matter of the study. In the case of the study of Todorova and colleagues, alternative insights were gathered about the perception of aging, with political, economic and cultural considerations coming into play.

As for the methodology, the study employed subject interview for data collection and thematic analysis for the data analysis.

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The fifty participants were sourced from Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) and 20 responded using Latino, prompting the study team to employ researchers and interviewers who are also of Latino origin. The researchers also employed the interpretative method such that encoded responses from the participants were immediately analyzed thematically and the researchers went back to the respondents for further questions to about emerging themes.

What made the study relevant is its treatment of aging as mediated by cultural factors. The literature has maintained that aging in some developed Western countries such as the United States is associated with feeling of isolation, depression and dependence. The findings of the study, however, point to the opposite which only confirm that culture affects the perception of aging. For Puerto Ricans, aging is normalized and accepted. They are also grateful for whatever forms of health they have and the concept of health in itself is relational. They desire to be healthy so that they can take good care of their children and grandchildren. While fatalism is evident among Puerto Ricans adults, the strong family tie and the belief thereof called familialism is a source of strength and positive attitude. They do not fear about old age because they know that their family will take care of them. This is grounded in the concept of inter-generational care. Children and grandchildren take care of the elderly because of the understanding that someday, they will also approach the old age (Todorova, Guzzardo, Adams & Falcón, 2015). Strong family tie is evidently absent in an individualistic society as the United States and this may explain while old age creates depression and fear.

To account for the factors affecting the perception of old age among the Puerto Rican old adults, the study found that economic and political variables explain the perception. The normalization and acceptance of aging may also be a result of structural barriers of accessing healthcare. They mere accept aging and become grateful that they still are alive because of the lack of means to optimize their health. Politically, the dependence of Puerto Rico on the United States also shapes the perception of aging. Because of its commonwealth status, Puerto Ricans are given the services afforded to Americans, which other racial groups in the United States may not have. Because of this, they consider their aging as more fortunate than the others.

The study of Todorova and colleagues is commendable for two points. First, it is innovative for connecting the economic, political and cultural factors of aging. Second, it employed the qualitative approach in order to unearth themes that are relevant for providing care to the elderly. The study should also be extended to other racial groups in the United States and Europe to see whether the same effect is present or otherwise. It is also interesting whether the same research question and method will render the same findings when applied in countries that were former colonies of the United States such as the Philippines and Guam.