Biographies of Childless, Single Older Adults
Katrin Alert
Raum
5. OG
Brieffach
Adresse
Besucheradresse: NRW Forschungskolleg GROW, Aachener Straße 201, 50931 Köln
Postadresse: NRW Forschungskolleg GROW, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Köln
Sprechstunde
nach Vereinbarung
Dissertation project
Biographies of Childless, Single Older Adults
Ms. Alert’s doctoral project focuses on childless, single older adults and the resources and risks for aging they have developed over the course of their lives. The approach is biographical, aiming to reconstruct the current perspective on one’s own aging and its development throughout the life course. The findings could be useful in elder care for counseling, recreational, or support services, enabling providers to identify and build upon these individuals’ resources in addition to addressing the well-known issues of loneliness and the need for support.
Research Interests
- Qualitative research methods (particularly biographical research)
- Gender and aging
- Social pedagogy and aging
Education
- 2011 Bachelor’s degree in Education, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Professional Experience
- October 2009 to November 2011: Student assistant in the Interdisciplinary Gerontology Research Group, Department of Education, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (project: “Development of a Tool for the Practical Assessment of Quality of Life in an Inpatient Setting”)
- 12/2011 to 12/2014 Research Assistant in the Interdisciplinary Gerontology Unit, Department of Education, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (project: “Investigation of Housing Situations and Quality of Life in Old Age Using the Example of Services for Women Residents at St. Katharinen and Weißfrauenstift,” conducting courses)
- Since 02/2015 Research Associate at the Research College “Well-being into Old Age,” Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Cologne
Publications
- Eunicke, N. & Alert, K. (2017). Report on the anniversary conference of the Biographical Research Section “Education and Social Inequalities – Perspectives of Social Science Biographical Research” held November 17–19, 2016, at the University of Vienna. Sociology, 46(2), pp. 202–204.