Percepción del sentido de generatividad construido a través del rol de la abuelidad por adultos mayores que asisten a un centro gerontológico del cantón Mira-provincia del Carchi

Abstract

This study examined how older adults who attend a Day Care Gerontological Center in the canton of Mira, Carchi province, understand and experience their generativity through the role of grandparents. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach, without manipulation of variables, with a descriptive and interpretive purpose, and a cross-sectional design, addressed as a situated case study. Six older adults (aged 71–86; three men and three women) participated. They were intentionally selected based on their regular attendance at the center and their active role as grandparents. Data were collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and complemented with field notes. The interviews were later transcribed verbatim and coded to ensure anonymity. The analysis identified patterns organized into five key themes: grandparenthood as a source of emotional well-being and everyday meaning; forms of intergenerational bonding according to closeness, contact, and reciprocity; the guiding role of grandparents in the upbringing of grandchildren through advice, norms, and values; legacy understood primarily as symbolic transcendence, and to a lesser extent material inheritance; and, finally, role limitations associated with family distance, cohabitation tensions, occasional fatigue, and economic constraints. Overall, participants’ narratives show that generativity remains active in old age, particularly when opportunities for connection and recognition are present, although it coexists with concerns about the future, safety, and family unity.