Elderly women over 80 face growing physical and social challenges, yet their stories remain largely invisible in media. Their needs for connection and autonomy are critical as their numbers rise.
Elderly women in focus during protests
During recent student demonstrations, attention has shifted to a group rarely seen on news channels or social media: elderly women over the age of 80. These individuals, who have lived full lives, are now facing increasing physical challenges, with some needing help from firefighters after falls. Health challenges worsen in summer heat
The summer heat has placed additional strain on the health of the elderly, leading some to become confined to their homes. In search of security and social life, many are considering nursing homes, despite the difficulty of leaving familiar environments. In France, those over 85 years old numbered more than 2.3 million in 2024, according to Insee, or more than 3.38% of the total population, and this number is expected to grow. Historical devaluation of old age
Philosopher Roger Pol-Droit notes in his book Savoirs, éthique et grand âge that old age has been increasingly "invisibilized" over the 20th century. This process is described as multifactorial, linked to the denial of the finitude of the body, a fantasy of infinity, a refusal of the negative, and the replacement of the real by the virtual, along with the marginalization of death. Ancient views on aging
This phenomenon has roots in a long tradition of devaluation of old age, as seen in ancient poet Hesiod, who described old age as a curse, and in Plato, who viewed it as "the deterioration of the living being under the effect of the passage of time." Aristotle described the elderly as hesitant, incapable of deciding, suspicious and mistrustful, selfish and timid, shrunk and insensitive. Limited consolation in ancient philosophy
Seneca and Montaigne offered limited consolation, suggesting that old age frees one from desires and passions and prepares one for death. Descartes, in Discourse on the Method, anticipated the modern era by envisioning the progress of technology and science to eliminate the ills of old age, a dream that has partially come true but with the consequence of increasing ostracization of the elderly. Psychological needs of the elderly
Psychiatrist Nicole Guédeney emphasizes that the elderly have a significant need for bonds to feel secure. According to John Bowlby, the need for attachment exists throughout life and is not only present in babies. Physical loss of autonomy, social isolation, grief, and the perspective of death can reactivate the attachment system, especially when other sources of reassurance, such as social status, academic skills, or physical assets, disappear. Childhood attachment influences aging
The way individuals react to these challenges depends on the attachment system they developed in childhood. Studies on the attachment of very elderly people suggest an overrepresentation of avoidant strategies, typical of children who did not receive responses to their requests for comfort. This could be due to a traumatic context or changes in the network of attachment figures among the elderly. Attachment theory in geriatric care
Attachment theory is beginning to influence geriatric practices, though still only marginally, according to Guédeney. Her insights could help Western society better consider its elders, emphasizing respectful care, emotional recognition, and the desire for autonomy, along with gestures, attentions, and intergenerational dialogue. Old age as a time of renewal
As Cicero stated in De Senectute, old age can also be the age of achievements and accomplishments. Psychoanalyst Geneviève Delaisi de Parseval notes in Savoirs, éthique et grand âge that some lives begin again in old age. A friend recounted how her aunt, at 85, has not only recreated a home in her new apartment but has also found love and recently married.
