Abstract
While much has been explored about notions of both place and belonging in regard to community health of various populations, little is known of the phenomena specific to suburban dwelling seniors. More and more seniors are living in suburban neighborhoods, communities that do not tend well to the belonging needs of this population. This qualitative study sought the perspectives of suburban dwelling seniors about the role of belonging and community connection to their health and wellbeing. Informed by strengths-based approaches to community development and health, the study engaged people from three community groups of older adults in a Canadian suburb (a seniors’ recreational/social group, and two cultural groups) in group interviews concerning the topic. Discoveries included an understanding of belonging as both personal and social, and identification of facilitators and barriers to belonging at personal and systemic levels. Belonging was experienced through connection, contribution and cooperation. These findings are important to shape community engagement with seniors and to inform decision-making and program developments in areas of recreation, leisure, health services, community policing, city planning and other services.
Highlights
Concepts of social connectedness and belonging have increasingly garnered the interest of researchers and interventionists over the past two decades (Almedom, 2005; Bruhn, 2009; Caxaj & Berman, 2010; Ottmann, Dickson, & Wright, 2006)
While much has been explored about notions of both place and belonging regarding community health of various populations (Baldwin, 2014; Potvin & Hayes, 2007), little is known of the phenomena of seniors living in suburbs (Richard, Gauvin, & Gosselin, 2008)
This study sought to explore the views and perspectives of seniors living in the north central suburbs of Calgary, a large, multicultural and predominantly “young” city in Western Canada (Statistics Canada, 2012). Broad interests of this inquiry were about the experience of belonging and community connection to suburban dwelling seniors in relation to their health and wellbeing
Summary
Concepts of social connectedness and belonging have increasingly garnered the interest of researchers and interventionists over the past two decades (Almedom, 2005; Bruhn, 2009; Caxaj & Berman, 2010; Ottmann, Dickson, & Wright, 2006). This study sought to explore the views and perspectives of seniors (older adults, 60+) living in the north central suburbs of Calgary, a large, multicultural and predominantly “young” (median age 36.4) city in Western Canada (Statistics Canada, 2012). Broad interests of this inquiry were about the experience of belonging and community connection to suburban dwelling seniors in relation to their health and wellbeing. Other meta-analyses have focused on understanding the quality and quantity of social relationships on mortality and taken together these factors are found to be comparable to other risk factors (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Layton, 2010)
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