Abstract

COELHO, Patrícia; JOSE, José de São  and  MARTINS, João Eduardo. “When health was lost or the crisis passed alongside”: A sociological perspective of the crisis and austerity effects on the older people’s self-perceived health. Forum Sociológico [online]. 2022, n.40, pp.11-19.  Epub July 29, 2022. ISSN 0872-8380.  https://doi.org/10.4000/sociologico.10395.

The 2008 economic crisis led to austerity in Portugal and the European Union. This article presents the partial findings of a qualitative study, focused on the effects of the crisis and austerity on older people’s self-perceived health. The literature is vast, but there are few studies that include older people, and even fewer those who give voice to their experiences. Based on a Biographical/Narrative Approach, 28 Portuguese individuals were interviewed, aged between 69-92 years, and living in Faro. The findings revealed two patterns: i) health was lost with the crisis and austerity and ii) the crisis and austerity passed alongside health. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the consequences of the crisis and austerity on the older people’s self-perceived health and highlight the importance of interlinkage of their lives with the lives of their relatives.

Keywords : austerity; older people; self-perceived health; Portugal.

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