Aging alone at one’s home
This study attempts to show the multiple ways in which the elderly exercise their autonomy through the strategies implemented to meet their needs and to enable them to live where they wish. It is based on the results of research conducted in three regions of Quebec. The autonomy of seniors is examined through their ability to express themselves (judging, deciding, choosing, asking), to do (purchasing, seizing opportunities and disengaging) and to grow and evolve (not remaining trapped by an identity or a story, discovering their abilities, formulating a project, pursuing an aspiration). The links between saying, doing and evolving are also examined. The study thus makes it possible to go beyond functional autonomy and decision-making autonomy to discover other dimensions of autonomy, among them some that are less visible or recognized.