The Dawdyhaus

Abstract

This qualitative case study of two Amish families, one from Delaware and one from Pennsylvania, offers a glimpse of life in the Dawdyhaus, the residence of Amish grandparents after they become what mainstream society calls “empty nesters.” Many older folks in mainstream society live in long-term care facilities that may be adequate for their basic needs, yet in many cases are far away from family members. The loss of family-based psychosocial support can have negative effects on the well-being of these individuals.

In collectivist cultures such as the Amish and other Plain Anabaptist communities, the good of the community is the focus, and the family is viewed as a microcosm of that larger collectivist culture. In these communities, members often remain in the home in which they raised their children or move into a small dwelling—nearby or attached to the main, larger dwelling, which is occupied by the family of one of their adult children—as they age. This small dwelling is known as the Dawdyhaus. The desire of aging family members to move into a Dawdyhaus and the assumption of greater household responsibilities by adult children is not forced; it is accompanied by a yielding, a submission, and a grace. Among the Amish and other Plain Anabaptist communities, this sense of yielding is referred to as Gelassenheit. This article posits the Dawdyhaus not as a noun referring to a space but as a verb in terms of daily living.

This study adopted a “go-along” method of inquiry to gain insights into the experiences of older family members living in Dawdyhauses (Alexander et al., 2020; Carpiano, 2009; Kusenbach, 2003).

Keywords: aging, collectivist cultures, Dawdyhaus, Gelassenheit, go-along method, Ordnung

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