Social relations, connectivity and loneliness of older rural people

Abstract

The social inclusion and participation of older people in rural communities and the impact of their social relations and connections on well-being outcomes, like loneliness, are receiving growing attention in contemporary gerontological research. This chapter examines these issues within the evolving empirical framework of studies in this area, with special reference to dementia as a health condition that increases rural-dwelling older adults’ vulnerability to social detachment and loneliness. Historically, studies in rural gerontology on the links between social relations and well-being have focused on risk factors for exclusion, loneliness and social isolation. Within rural contexts internationally, a variety of intervention types have been developed to reduce loneliness and isolation through addressing challenges to older people’s social inclusion and connectivity to community. The need to systematically address the well-being, social inclusion and community connectedness of rural older adults from a strategic coordinated perspective is increasingly being realised internationally.