“I don't have any complaints”: Meanings of health in aging for puerto rican adults in the mainland

This study explores the meaning of health in aging for Puerto Rican adults in the Boston area. Puerto Ricans are the second largest Hispanic sub-group in the U.S. and live with clear health disparities. The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study is a longitudinal mixed-methods study (n=1357). We conducted in-depth interviews with a randomly selected sub-group of 20 participants, 10 men and 10 women, aged 49 to 76. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated into English. Through thematic analysis focusing on language and cultural meanings, we identified several interconnected themes about growing older, and the related meanings of body, health, and illness. Themes included: normalization of aging and symptoms of illness and disability; acceptance of the changing body and its limitations; being grateful for the health one has; aging as a socially connected process; a split between the aging body and the soul. For our participants, aging is experienced through the comparison of the U.S. mainland, characterized by high quality medical care and social isolation, with that of Puerto Rico, where there are fewer resources, but “warmer” social connections. The normalization of aging is associated with acceptance and tolerance of health problems, and a critical view of complaining. Health and illness in aging is defined within a social context through one's ability to interact with others, where aging should occur “in the arms of loved ones.” Practitioners need to be aware of varying culturally constructed understandings of aging and health in order to develop and implement appropriate programs of care.