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The research focuses on factors (internal and environmental) and processes that promote or support the aging person's independence, his/her physical and mental integrity, and his/her participation in society. It also analyzes the factors that hinder or undermine these aspects. This objective is pursued by means of a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the population aged 63 and over of two typical regions (Canton of Geneva and Central Valais) in 1979. The choice of the two survey regions was explains by the fact that they typologically constitute the two extremes of the range representing the diversity of the situations of the elderly in Switzerland. This cross-sectional survey is repeated in 1994 and completed by a longitudinal survey (1994-1999) on the cohort of 80-84 year-olds living at home at the time of the cross-sectional survey of 1994. This design makes a comparison possible of the evolution and changes of the aged condition over 15 years.
The research is part of the theoretical perspective of the life course. A "horizontal" (class) social stratification articulates a "vertical" stratification, a social organization of life time, defining stages and transitions. The hypothesis is that the position occupied in the life course is a better indicator than age both in terms of defining situations and standard problems as in relation to the practices of aging people. The idea is to construct and validate a life course position indicator (LPI) combining the individual position in three dimensions: the health journey, the family trajectory, the professional trajectory.
Through the results of the research, we want to contribute to a reflection on the ethical foundations of research in gerontology and a policy of old age, the definition of present and future needs of aging people, and to highlight possible linkages between the support provided by family or self-help networks, and various forms of institutional support.