EDISCIENCES

ABSTRACT

Background Older adults represent a growing number of all cancer survivors. The speci c psychological issues surrounding cancer diagnosis among the older population have yet to be clearly comprehended. Existing research suggests that depression and uncertainty are among the adverse psychological reactions of older patients to a diagnosis of cancer. They are frequently associated with physical disability, morbidity, pain, re ections on self-meaning, decrease in sexuality and reduced social functioning. Methods We present two clinical narratives of older individuals diagnosed with cancer which illustrate gender perception, based on their cul- tural, family and personal norms and systems of belief. Narrative theory addresses the ways in which people describe and under- stand their everyday experiences, and the meaning they derive from them. Their personal narratives create coherence and enable them to grasp life events which are in constant ux and negotiation. Narratives are traditionally identi ed as social constructs, shaped and built within the individual’s social, cultural and historical con- texts. The stories of illness, sexuality and meaning presented here are expressed through the memories of self of each patient, and their social and family expectations. Results The narrative landscapes provide important theoretical insights into the complexity of emotions triggered by illness and the process of aging. Most signi cant to emerge are the differences in affective and gendered meanings.