Sense of Coherence and the Strengths Perspective with Older Persons

The quest for successful aging is very compatible with the current social work practice emphasis on a strengths perspective. Elderly persons are one population-at-risk who stand to benefit from the application of a strengths perspective in practice and research. The focus of this paper is on the conceptual and practical relevance of the concept "sense of coherence" (Antonovsky, 1979; 1987) for implementing a strengths perspective in gerontological social work. Sense of coherence is conceptualized as a generalized way of viewing the world and one's life in it. Data are presented from the author's study of sense of coherence as a predictor of independent living ability for a sample of elderly women in a senior housing complex. Practice applications are examined.