Abstract
Despite obstacles, many rural-dwelling older adults report that positive aspects of rural residence, such as attachment to community, social participation, and familiarity, create a sense of belonging that far outweighs the negative. By being part of a community where they are known and they know people, rural elders continue to find meaning, the key to achieving successful aging in this last stage of life. This scoping review explored factors influencing social participation and, through it, successful aging among rural-dwelling older adults. We sought to answer the question: what factors enhance or detract from the ability of rural-dwelling older adults to engage in social participation in rural communities? The scoping review resulted in 19 articles that highlight the importance of supports to enable older people to spend time with others, including their pets, engage in volunteer and community activities, and help maintain their home and care for their pets. Overall, the lack of services, including local health care facilities, was less important than the attachment to place and social capital associated with aging in place.
Highlights
Older adults in many parts of the world are aging in rural places
Rural-dwelling adults are a heterogeneous population that includes urban transplants, indigenous peoples, telecommuters, farmers whose families have been on the land for generations, back-to-the landers, and everyone in between
The research question we sought to explore was: What factors enhance, or detract from, the ability to engage in social participation and successful aging in a rural community?
Summary
Older adults in many parts of the world are aging in rural places. For example, in Australia, over a third of the rural population are older adults [1]; in rural China, there are an estimated 178 million people over 60 years old [2]; and in Sri Lanka, almost 14% of the population is over 60 years old [3].In Canada, there are approximately 3000 rural communities, 40% of which are not within commuting distance of major hospitals with advanced medical care options. Rural-dwelling adults are a heterogeneous population that includes urban transplants, indigenous peoples, telecommuters, farmers whose families have been on the land for generations, back-to-the landers, and everyone in between. Their rural settings include isolated individual properties, small clusters of homes, villages, and small towns and are all located outside large, densely populated urban centers [4]. Unlike their urban counterparts, rural dwellers generally have a self-reliant existence [5], supplying their own water and sewage systems, and often arranging their own electricity. They are, of necessity, familiar with contingency planning, able to prepare for adverse weather events that shut down roads and power, and are often able to care for themselves and their families for periods of time without assistance
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