Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to further elucidate the importance of social relationships and social connectedness with aging in place and in developing elder-friendly communities. The process used in this study was inclusive of younger adults (age 40–65) as well as older adults (65+) in order to further understand how they envision a community that could support their own aging in place. A community forum, using the World Café format, was conducted in order to engage community members, 40 years and older, in conversation about the importance of social connectedness in elder-friendly communities. A second purpose of this forum was to obtain data on what would keep aging boomers in their community as they age. Three major themes emerged from qualitative analysis of the forum: social reciprocity, meaningful interactions, and structural needs/barriers. The results of this study reinforce the importance of social connectedness in creating and maintaining elder-friendly communities for older adults, as well as soon-to-be retired individuals, wishing to maintain life connectedness to their community. The study suggests the possibility of using more nontraditional research techniques (such as the World Café process) for gathering community level data.
Highlights
Gerontological researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and planners are concerning themselves with the growing importance of aging in place
This theme was directly related to the overarching focus on social connectedness but illustrated the importance of added value in these relationships
These findings reinforce the importance of participation and integration, which is a critical element of social exclusion theory [8]
Summary
Gerontological researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and planners are concerning themselves with the growing importance of aging in place. Lau and colleagues [4] have conceptualized a framework for aging in place safely and acknowledge the importance of multiple factors, including the biological and psychological characteristics of the individual, the network of social support, formal services, the need for medical services, and the structure of the home and neighborhood. This and other frameworks clearly recognize that aging in place strategies must consider the personal (micro) environment, including housing, and community and structural components as well [4, 5]. The original survey did not focus on the issue of social connectedness but limited the focus to volunteering and participation in cultural and religious activities
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