May 22, 2024

New IDEAL Infographic & Brief: Physical Disabilities and the Passage of Time

Time is a privilege and a social resource. It is an essential aspect of an individual’s life, both in terms of daily activities and
long-term aging. Time is even considered a social determinant of health, or a factor that influences a person’s or a group’s overall health.

an hourglass on a rocky landscape

In our society, the ability to use time and money efficiently and profitably are often valued over everything else. Those who can’t use time efficiently and profitably are devalued and marginalized. When people are living at the margins of society, it can be hard for everyone else to see the difficulties they face.

People with a spinal cord injury are often marginalized due to their inability to use time like the general population. Their lost time manifests in terms of physical impediments that take up more time to address, but also in terms of lack of equipment, caregivers, transportation, or other resources that could help them be a less-marginalized part of society.

Download the brief "How do Adults Aging with Physical Disabilities Deal with the Passage of Time?" (PDF)

Download the infographic "Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): How Does Time Affect Adults Aging with SCI?"

For more information:

Reber, L., Tan, N. S. W., Meade, M. A., Forchheimer, M., Tate, D. G., & Clarke, P. (2023). Arbiters of Time: The Experience of Adults Aging with Spinal Cord Injury. Journal of Ageing and Longevity, 3(1), 59-71. https://doi.org/10.3390/jal3010005