A general review of old age and telecare

Abstract

This chapter starts with the introduction of the premises upon which the problematisations of old age were built, and which narratives of old age are produced and sustained. Three grand discourses of old age historically exist: namely (1) the biomedical model, which perceives ageing as a pathological problem associated with abnormality, deterioration, and dependency; (2) consumer culture, which perceives older people as a new group of homogeneous, financially secure, and powerful consumers; and (3) managerialism in social work, which perceives older people in terms of risk. The chapter also reflects upon telecare technologies, their relation to older people, and different approaches used in telecare research. While doing this, it introduces analytical tools, which make the analysis of government policies possible in the next chapters, and contextualises Foucault’s modes of objectification to guide the analysis.