This feminist phenomenological study explores the meaning of older women’s experiences as they negotiate health care. Several interviews with diverse groups of older women (immigrant, First Nations, and Japanese-Canadian women and those involved in community and social clubs) reveal that negotiating to have
their health needs met was a challenging process requiring mutual support.Their health-care experiences were influenced by issues surrounding access to services, power, and poverty. For many participants, the conversational interview format served to inspire consciousness-raising, activism, and reflection.The findings
suggest that such reflection may help other women to understand the “multiple margins” (being older, being a woman, being a member of a visible minority) that constrain and challenge their access to health care.
