Abstract
Much past research on the experience of chronic illness & disability is based on the theoretical assumption of illness as stigmatizing deviance. Among the elderly, however, for whom chronic illness is almost anticipated, there is likely to be less potential for stigma, so that other aspects of physical problems may be more important to an understanding of the illness experience. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 25 elderly women suffering from diabetes, arthritis, &/or hypertension & 5 healthy women to address the following questions: What is the perceived impact of chronic illness on the everyday lives of noninstitutionalized elderly women? How are the perceptions of the chronic illness experience affected by the experience of specific ailments? Inductive data analysis revealed that while the concepts of stigma & deviance were of limited value in describing the illness experience, more mundane effects of physical problems on daily tasks & lifestyles as a whole were common. For some, specific symptoms led to significant changes, while for others, illness-related limitations on time & energy were key factors in these effects. Importantly, alterations of self-concept were not experienced universally. For some, illness was not incorporated into self-concept, despite severe physical limitations. Both illness-specific & global meanings of the illness experience that emerged during the research & their implications are discussed.