Participation in community activities through Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) Supportive Service Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1987-2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
EMILY A. GREENFIELD ◽  
REBECCA L. MAULDIN
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Retirement Community ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Service Programs ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
The Social ◽  
Supportive Service ◽  
Community Contexts

ABSTRACTNaturally Occurring Retirement Community Supportive Service Programs (NORC Programs) constitute a national model in the United States of America that aims to benefit older adults ageing in place in their own homes and communities. One central aspect of NORC Programs is the provision of community activities to facilitate older adults’ connections with others. Guided by ecological systems theory, we explored from older adults’ perspectives what influences their participation in the community activities offered by NORC Programs, as well as the meaning of the social contact that such participation affords. We used data from an in-depth interview study with 41 older residents across seven NORC Program sites in the greater New York City area. Themes regarding influences on participation included individual circumstances (personal desire for social activity and health status), programmatic factors (relationships with staff and appeal of the activities) and community contexts (appeal of the other attendees). Perceptions of other attendees also emerged as an influence on the social effects of participation, which ranged from experiencing social contact alone to creating independent friendships. Overall, findings indicate that programme features combine with individual and community contexts to influence diverse experiences of community activities. In addition to implications for organisational practice, we interpret the results in terms of directions for future research regarding how community-based organisations can influence social integration in later life.

Perceived barriers and contributors to sense of purpose in life in retirement community residents

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Nathan A. Lewis ◽  
Naomi Reesor ◽  
Patrick L. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Retirement Community ◽  
Retirement Communities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
The Social ◽  
Continuing Care Retirement Communities ◽  
Retirement Facilities

Abstract Despite the growing use of retirement communities and ageing care facilities, little is known about how residing in retirement residences may impact aspects of older adult wellbeing. Living in these communities may hold particular influence on residents’ sense of purpose, if they feel limited in their opportunities for individual action, or could serve to promote purposefulness depending on the social connections available. The current study sought to explore contributing factors as well as barriers to purpose in older adults living in three continuing care retirement communities. Using brief semi-structured interviews, 18 older adults were asked to describe their purpose in life, community-related activities and any perceived challenges limiting their ability to pursue this purpose. Thematic analysis was used to examine themes common across interviews. Interviews presented a mixed picture of the nature of purposefulness in retirement facilities. Residents espoused several benefits of community living such as social and leisure opportunities, while also noting several obstacles to their purpose, including health concerns and the belief that purpose in life was not relevant for older adults. These findings provide insight into how older adults can derive a sense of purpose from activities within their retirement community and how facilities can better tailor programmes to promote purposefulness and support personally valued roles for residents.

scholarly journals Barriers and Motivators of Bicycling by Gender Among Older Adult Bicyclists in the Midwest

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Grimes ◽  
Matthew Chrisman ◽  
Joseph Lightner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Barriers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Barriers And Motivators

Introduction. Physical activity (PA), particularly low-impact activities like bicycling, can improve health in older adults. However, bicycling rates are lower in the Midwest than other regions in the United States. Therefore, it is important to identify unique social, personal, and environmental factors that inhibit or promote bicycling, and how these are associated with PA. The influences of these factors were explored using the social ecological model. Method. A cross-sectional online survey was developed using previously validated local and national bicycling questionnaires, then distributed to Midwestern bicyclists 50 years and older. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to understand the influences of social, personal, and environmental barriers and promoters on bicycling patterns. All models were conducted separately by gender, and accounted for age, race, education, marital status, income, and employment. Results. Social promoters (B = 0.386, p = .002), such as having friends/family that bicycle were associated with greater PA. Personal promoters (B = −0.311, p = .006) such as needing to lose weight were associated with reduced PA. Environmental factors had no associations with PA. However, individual environmental components, such as number of vehicles on the roads, were significantly associated with PA for both males and females. Females reported more barriers than males. The overall model accounted for 16.1% of the total variance in PA levels. Conclusion. Interventions to promote PA via bicycling in older adults should focus on social factors, while also reducing personal-level factors for males. Interventions for females could focus on reducing specific personal, social, and environmental barriers.

scholarly journals Ageing-friendly communities and social inclusion in the United States of America

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREW E. SCHARLACH ◽  
AMANDA J. LEHNING
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
The Social

ABSTRACTSynthesising the social capital and ageing-friendly communities literature, this paper describes how efforts to make communities more ageing-friendly can promote social inclusion among older adults. Making existing communities more ageing-friendly involves physical and social infrastructure changes that enable older adults to pursue lifelong activities, meet their basic needs, maintain significant relationships, participate in the community in personally and socially meaningful ways, and develop new interests and sources of fulfilment. Such efforts can enhance bonding, bridging and linking capital, and thereby promote social inclusion. The authors discuss the link between ageing-friendly communities and social inclusion, and provide examples of programmes with potential to change existing communities into ones that promote the social inclusion of older adults.

scholarly journals PREMIGRATION, DISPLACEMENT, AND POSTMIGRATION EXPERIENCES OF LONELINESS AMONG HMONG OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S901-S901
Author(s):  
Cindy Vang ◽  
Michael Sieng
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Refugee Experience ◽  
Community Access

Abstract Available evidence highlights the detrimental impact of loneliness on the mental and physiological health of older adults. While immigrant older adults report higher prevalence for experiencing loneliness compared to native born older adults, minimal research has simultaneously explored the premigration, displacement, and postmigration experiences of loneliness among older adults with a refugee history. This study aimed to explore loneliness in these three phases among Hmong older adults, an ethnic minority group resettled in the United States as refugees over 40 years ago. Drawing on data from a constructivist grounded theory study guided by an intersectionality framework, the first author interviewed 17 community-dwelling Hmong older adults age 65 and older residing in Fresno and Sacramento, California. Two coders coded and analyzed the transcribed interviews. Findings revealed negative, disruptive, and discriminatory experiences underscored by systems of oppression grounded on the social, political, psychological, and cultural context of each phase. Influencing factors that contributed to loneliness were identified as: trust, loss, aging-related issues, isolation, sense of community, access to cultural community, instability, violence, and cultural adjustments. In specific phases, particular influencing factors were more evident and persistent in producing loneliness. Some influencing factors remained a problem for participants across all phases. With the unprecedented growth of refugees all over the world, this study highlights the need for more research, practice, and policy focused on the context of the refugee experience to gain greater insight into their loneliness experiences and expand the notion of loneliness as an individual experience.

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