Centenarians’ experience of (non-)loneliness—life lessons

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of qualitative research carried out among Polish centenarians who have not experienced loneliness. Objectives: An attempt to find factors protecting against loneliness. A total of 17 cases were included in the research. Method: A collective case study (Stake, 2009) with in-depth interview was applied to the research carried out by the authors. The results show that activity together with personal characteristics (lifelong optimism) allows the building of positive social relationships and contribute to protection against loneliness among the oldest old. Discussion and Implications: The centenarians interviewed experienced many traumatic events in their lives and still they did not know the feeling of loneliness. The cases researched were diverse with respect to social and economic status, health condition, and family status but the common aspect was their lifetime activity and their high level of optimism. The lifelong activity of the respondents allowed them to build social relationships and establish new acquaintanceships, both intra- and intergenerationally. Promoting examples of “positive long-livers” may play preventive role and contribute to the quality of life in late old age, and as societies are ageing, the results are also important for public health.

Acknowledgments

First of all, we wish to thank all the centenarians who wanted to meet us and answer our questions despite their physical limitations.

Notes

¹ Stanislaw Kowalski, currently aged 107, a Polish athlete (the oldest in Europe). See: Moczulska (2016).

² See more: Mackowicz and Wnek-Gozdek (2017).

³ Giewont, a mountain located in the Western Tatra Mountains in Poland (1894 m above sea level).

⁴ Danuta Szaflarska, the Polish actress, died in 2017 (at the age of 102 years). See: Maciejewski (2012).