Aging through daily living: Autonomy, adaptation, connection and belief in the lives of indigenous older women in Taiwan.

Abstract

This study explores the lived aging experiences of Lowland Indigenous older women in Taiwan from an emic perspective, aiming to enrich the knowledge base for culturally informed care and policy development. Guided by Heideggerian phenomenology, this inquiry utilized purposive and snowball sampling to recruit 19 participants who had relocated to urban areas or rural townships. Data were collected through in-depth, qualitative interviews. The analysis revealed four empirical themes capturing the participants' daily existence: (a) making it a day, (b) facing changes/challenges and finding the way, (c) connecting with surroundings, and (d) believing. These themes collectively illuminate an interpretive pathway toward two existential core dimensions: being oneself and grounding. The participants' narratives underscore their profound autonomy and socio-spiritual resilience in framing age-related somatic decline and the multifaceted challenges of relocating from mountainous to lowland areas. Rather than supporting a medicalized deficit model view of aging, these findings offer critical, culturally situated contrasts to mainstream gerontological literature. This study bridges a pivotal knowledge gap for healthcare professionals who are searching for ways to enhance cultural safety and the design of responsive, equity-driven geriatric nursing practices and public policies.