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Experiences of social frailty among rural community-dwelling and assisted-living older adults: a qualitative study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2021

Steven Bunt Open the ORCID record for Steven Bunt [Opens in a new window] ,
Nardi Steverink ,
Linden Douma ,
Cees van der Schans ,
Hans Hobbelen  and
Louise Meijering Open the ORCID record for Louise Meijering [Opens in a new window]
Steven Bunt*
Affiliation:
Research Group in Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands
Nardi Steverink
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Health Psychology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Linden Douma
Affiliation:
Population Research Center, Urban and Regional Studies Institute, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Cees van der Schans
Affiliation:
Research Group in Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Center for Rehabilitation, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Hans Hobbelen
Affiliation:
Research Group in Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Louise Meijering
Affiliation:
Population Research Center, Urban and Regional Studies Institute, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author. Email: s.bunt@pl.hanze.nl
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Abstract

Although social frailty has been described from a theoretical perspective, the lived experiences of older adults regarding social frailty are yet unknown. In this paper, we aim to (a) gain more in-depth insights into community-dwelling and assisted-living older adults’ experiences of social frailty and (b) explore the differences in these experiences between these two groups. We conduct a thematic analysis of 38 interviews with community-dwelling and assisted-living older adults in rural villages the Netherlands. We structure our findings along three overarching themes which highlight different aspects of the social frailty experiences of our participants: (a) present resources and activities to fulfil social needs, (b) resources and activities that have been lost, and (c) how they manage and adapt to changes in resources and activities over time. Loneliness is only reported among the community-dwelling participants, while the loss of mobility and participation in (social) activities is experienced most strongly by the assisted-living participants. These findings challenge the widespread policies and practices of ageing in place. We conclude that for some older adults, living in assisted arrangements is preferred over ageing in place, as doing so can prevent social frailty. The key reason for this is that life in assisted living is likely to bring about new social resources and activities, which may serve to fulfil the social needs of older adults.

Keywords

social frailtyolder adultscommunity-dwellingassisted-livingrural areasin-depth interviewsqualitative researchThe Netherlands
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , April 2023 , pp. 857 - 877
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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