A narrative-based exploration of aging, precariousness and housing instability among low-income older adults in Canada

ABSTRACT

In this article we focus upon low-income older adults’ lived experiences of aging, precariousness and housing instability/homelessness in Hamilton, Canada. Precariousness includes involuntary or incentivized displacement, as well as ‘health discounting’ in the face of rising shelter costs, inappropriate housing, periods of homelessness and involuntary housing immobility. The lived experiences of aging, precariousness and housing instability were collected through arts-based methodologies, whereby participants were given tablets to record their photos, videos and written diaries of their housing-related experiences. Additionally, participants took part in individual semi-structured interviews and participant observation in community-based settings. The recounting of participant experiences through a sensemaking frame allows for an exploration of the question of what it means to be ‘devalued’ as one ages to the extent that securing shelter is an overwhelming and stressful journey. Participant narratives provide compelling counter stories contesting popular notions that older adults will be taken care of as they age by the state or private savings. In sharing these stories, we are attempting to bring ‘recognizability’ to the experiences of aging, precariousness and housing/homelessness in order to contribute to the conditions through which low-income older adults’ experiences can be folded into policy co-design geared towards affordable housing.

KEYWORDS:

• Aging
• precariousness
• housing instability
• homelessness
• arts-based methodologies

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. Michelle Wyndham-West

C. Michelle Wyndham-West, Ph.D., is the Graduate Program Director of the Design for Health and Inclusive Design programs and an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Design at OCADU University in Toronto, Canada. Michelle is a critically applied medical anthropologist specializing in health equity, aging, gender and public policy development. In addition to researching housing instability and homelessness among older adults, she is currently investigating the application of gender-based analysis and intersectional approaches in policymaking systems through national dementia strategy development. Dr. Wyndham-West has published in international journals, such as Evidence & Policy and Health, Risk & Society.

Allison Odger

Allison Odger, M.A., completed her Master of Arts in Anthropology in 2015. She is a medical anthropologist and a Social Anthropology PhD Candidate at York University. Her research lies at the intersection of care and surveillance, with a sexual health centre and a mobile clinic as her primary fieldsites. She is currently working on her dissertation, based upon 18-months of ethnographic fieldwork in Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include sexual and reproductive health movements, the anthropology of biomedicine, contraception, and health care.

James R. Dunn

James R. Dunn, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster University and a Scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He is also the Senator William McMaster Chair in Urban Health Equity at McMaster University. Trained in urban health geography and social epidemiology, he has published widely in geography, public health, urban planning and epidemiology journals. His research focuses upon health and social impacts of public housing redevelopment and the impact of affordable housing on health and child development.