History and identity in the narratives of rural elders

The growing body of oral history research with elders has rarely focused on the reflections of rural elders. The purpose of this study was to gather the oral histories of both community-dwelling and institutionalized elders in a small Midwestern rural community. Of particular interest were the historical events that shaped the elders' lives, their personal histories and sources of identity, and their recollections of rural community life. Tape-recorded oral histories were gathered with 37 rural elders in four community settings: a congregate meal site, a semi-independent living setting, an assisted living facility, and a nursing home. Major themes that emerged from the content analysis were the importance of the two World Wars and Great Depression as the defining events in the elders' lives, values of self-reliance, hard work, and religion, attachment to place and community, and centrality of family and work. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.