Ageing with Prostheses

Prostheses have become increasingly prevalent within the aging population, undergoing stress and deterioration as they are assimilated into the human experience (Arnaldi, Crabu, Assunta 2023; Haddow, Åsberg, and Timeto 2023; Favalli 2023). The utilization of prosthetics has the potential to obscure the perceived distinctions between the human and the nonhuman, as well as between the human and inanimate objects, throughout the aging process. Nonetheless, there remains a significant gap in the scholarly literature concerning how individuals incorporate prostheses into their daily lives and engage with their surroundings. It is also essential to consider the aging of prostheses themselves in conjunction with human aging, as they become integral components of personal identity.

This paper presents a scoping review of the existing literature on aging with prostheses. We approach this literature through the lens of the sociology of aging, applying the theoretical framework of interconnected aging to scrutinize the relationship between the aging process and the embodiment of prosthetic devices.

Our findings reveal that the experiences associated with aging and later life are infrequently addressed in non-medical literature regarding the utilization of prostheses. In contrast, insights derived from the sociology of aging are vital for comprehending how prosthetics challenge the boundaries between corporeal existence and material objects. Furthermore, we contend that the embodiment of prosthetics must be analyzed through an aging perspective, as the physiological changes that occur over time profoundly influence the interplay between body and prostheses.