The symbolic representation of community in social isolation and loneliness among older people: Insights for intervention from a rural Irish case study

Abstract

Social isolation and loneliness are common experiences of ageing in rural communities. Policy responses and interventions for social isolation and loneliness in later life are shaped by sociocultural understandings of place, relationships and social interaction. This study examined how representations of rural community in Ireland influenced the focus, relationships and activities within a befriending intervention designed to tackle social isolation and loneliness. Through a qualitative case study conducted in 2014, the symbolic meaning of the intervention was explored using interviews and focus groups with participants (8 befriended, 11 befrienders and 3 community workers) from one befriending programme in rural Ireland. Reflected in the programme was a representation of a rural community in decline with concern for the impact on older people. There was a valuing of the traditional community defined by geographical place, perceptions of similarity among its members, and values of solidarity and mutual support. The befriending intervention represented a commitment to intra-community solidarity and a desire by many for authentic befriending relationships that mirrored understandings of relationships within the traditional community. Identifying and alleviating social isolation and loneliness imply a set of normative values about community and the optimal social relationships within community. This paper proposes that there is a need to consider the role played by understandings of community in shaping context-sensitive interventions to counter social isolation and loneliness in later life.

Social participation needs of older adults living in a rural regional county municipality: Toward reducing situations of isolation and vulnerability

“…The present study therefore sheds new light on the needs of older adults in rural RCMs, including variations in priority needs from a general as well as speci c perspectives of older adults with disabilities or those living in rural areas. Since a good understanding of normative conditions may help developers of interventions to better engage older adults who do not conform to the dominant perception of community vision and functioning [24], these distinctions could foster successful implementation of social initiatives with older adults. A good understanding of community functioning is required to shape context-sensitive interventions to counter, for example, social isolation in later life.…”

Social connectedness: what matters to older people?

“…In situations of poor health, we found that proximal environments, especially relationships with neighbours, became increasingly important for opportunities for daily experiences of connection (Yen et al ., 2012; Michael and Yen, 2014). Nevertheless, due to increasing rents and job-market precariousness, neighbourhoods (especially in our large metropolitan field site) were felt to be transitory and no longer offer the often-idealised form of social support, such as positive neighbouring, that our participants desired (Scharf and de Jong Gierveld, 2008; Stanley et al ., 2010; Bantry-White et al ., 2018). This, along with widespread concerns about broader structural factors such as the level of the pension and inability to afford accommodation acceptable for socialising, highlights how both micro- and macro-economic considerations inhibited participants’ ability to connect (Ibrahim et al ., 2013) and at worst exclude people from having a public life altogether (Weldrick and Grenier, 2018).…”

Social participation needs of older adults living in a rural regional county municipality: toward reducing situations of isolation and vulnerability

“…The present study therefore sheds new light on the needs of older adults in rural RCMs, including variations in priority needs from a general as well as specific perspectives of older adults with disabilities or those living in rural areas. Since a good understanding of normative conditions may help developers of interventions to better engage older adults who do not conform to the dominant perception of community vision and functioning [ 25 ], these distinctions could foster successful implementation of social initiatives with older adults. A good understanding of community functioning is required to shape context-sensitive interventions to counter, for example, social isolation in later life.…”