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The phenomenon of the lived experience of aging in the oldest old has received little attention. What is aging? Why does it matter? Why does the meaning of aging demand rigorous inquiry? Aging is a complex phenomenon that has been described in a number of ways in the health-related literature by a number of scientists and health promoters. Cole and Gadow (1986) state that “we have been slow to understand our current predicament: the absence or inadequacy of shared meanings of aging and old age.” The scientific study of aging as a human development is often fragmented and incomplete. Developing a coherent framework for studying old age becomes a more pressing professional, social, and cultural task as a greater percentage of Americans will live to reach old age, and will spend more years as aged persons than previous generations. Aging can be studied through a perspective other than from the biological models that have prevailed . Aging, a critical element in the life of the oldest old, is rapidly becoming an important issue in American culture. The concept of aging is changing. The negative images are becoming more positive, and elders are emerging to claim their unique place in society.
Beliefs about aging differ in the literature. Riegel (1976, p. 693) reports that