In my dissertation, Moving with Care, I draw on 2.5 years of ethnographic data and 75 in-depth interviews to follow elder care across the Triangle region of North Carolina. Moving from the halls of a senior center to the halls of the state legislature, I trace how older adults and care partners navigate the structural constraints of care and aging.
Image shows folded blankets on a wooden chair, stacked several inches past the arms of the chair. Each blanket is from a woman's trip to the ER with her mother before she learned about in-home medical services.
Image shows a large bulletin board covered in flyers and leaflets. This is one of many resource boards in a local senior center.
Image shows stacks of dry goods and other items in a hallway. A woman in her 80s enjoys collecting discounted food and toiletries, shown here, to donate to residents at a nearby assisted living facility.
Image shows a woman holding her paper planner, full of appointments for the week. Many older adults stay very busy in retirement.
Image shows colorful drawings displayed on a table. This is one of the many art projects we completed during a volunteer-run social respite program for people living with dementia.
Image shows a tabletop with papers, notes, and medications. This is the work area of a man's apartment in a senior independent living community. He sits here to work on a book he is writing about his experience living with Parkinson's. Notes remind him about therapeutic exercises that he does throughout the day.
Image shows a dimly-lit jazz club with a small stage, a dance floor, and an eating area. White-haired people dance, chat at tables, and play music. This is a popular spot among retirees.
Image shows a white door leading to a resident's room in an assisted living facility. Carolina pendants that say "Go Tar Heels!" and "Carolina Fever" hand on the door. Above the handle are two handwritten notes asking people not to enter when the resident is not there, to knock before entering, and to be careful of her cat.
Image shows a paper menu print-out held in front of a plate of four friend mozzarella sticks. The print-out lists what a woman's mother was supposed to have received for lunch that day at her skilled nursing facility including, "beef tenderloin, peas & pearl onions, red skin potatoes, a yeast roll, and bourbon pecan pie." A note on the print-out reminds the kitchen to substitute foods that are easier to eat with limited hand mobility in place of foods that can be tricky to eat, like peas. The plate shows the lunch that her mother actually received. They are paying thousands of dollars per month for care.
Image shows a sunny room with lots of plants in the far window. A rollator walker is parked at the far wall, next to a wooden table. Atop the table is a stack of leaflets advertising a home health service. This is the lobby of a subsidized senior housing apartment complex. Older adults who live here pay no more than 30% of their income on rent.
Image shows five white- and gray-haired women using rollator walkers to approach the end of a sidewalk leading to a parking lot. They eagerly await the shuttle that will take them on an "outing" to leave their assisted living facility for a few hours. Sometimes they make a show over who will get on the shuttle first. They often go shopping, but sometimes go to restaurants, public gardens, or even out bowling.
Image shows a white woman smiling behind a large wooden desk in a glass-walled office. An American flag and a North Carolina State flag hang on either side of the office door. She is a North Carolina legislative staff member. She proudly points to the yellow "Age my Way" sticker that she received from advocates during Aging Advocacy Day.
A dance troupe performs for the Older Americans Month celebration at the North Carolina State Farmers Market. Image shows seven older women on a stage. They're wearing big blonde wigs and black and red jumpsuits with sparkling belts and fringe pants.
A primary care provider on a home visit to a homebound low-income older adult holds a large instruction sheet telling her how to affix a continuous glucose monitor to her patient's arm. This is not an official part of her job, but no one else has been able to help her patient do this.
Many older adults plan to age in place. Image shows two chickens on a bright patch of grass at an older woman's farm.