A Living Trilogy: Aging, Perception, and Environment

Aging is not theoretical. It is lived. Theories about aging are the result of deductive reasoning where scholars use the stories, observations, and history of individuals in their last quarter of life until death to better understand this final developmental stage of life. In this article, the story of two elderly couples in their last years of life until their death serves as a foundation for considering the quality of aging in the details of daily living. Not unlike studies that review the process of increase cognitive, sensory, and emotional resources in children, the same can be valuable to understand the lived experience of adults who are aging naturally until death. For those who “live it”, letting go of well-established living patterns, personal effects, and meaningful activities become far more difficult when such an action symbolizes the end of a stage of life. The individuals discussed are the parents and in-laws of the author all of whom died prior to the writing of this work. Personal and long-term knowledge of the individuals provided more detailed understanding of the individuals, their histories, and personal characteristics. Using this narrative as example, theories of aging and human development a from gerontology, social psychology, environmental psychology, and human development, conclusions are drawn that give more insights into the overall experience of aging applicable to many who will go through the same experiences.