Social Engagement and Community Support Models for Rural Healthy Aging
Social engagement — a sense of connection, belonging, and feeling valued within the community — improves quality of life for older adults and can contribute to longevity and overall good health. Older adults experience increasing loneliness as they get older, and are at greater risk of becoming socially isolated due to loss of loved ones; declining mobility, hearing, and vision; chronic illnesses; and other factors that limit participation in activities. Social isolation and loneliness can be detrimental to mental and physical health. For older adults, social isolation is linked to worsening chronic diseases, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression.
Social engagement plays an important role in older adults' health and well-being. Strong social networks, meaning the web of social connections that links individuals to each other, make older adults feel socially connected and cared for. Social networks can also promote resilience, helping older adults navigate stressful times. While family and neighbors are often the core of social networks, these networks extend to familiar faces within rural communities, including bank tellers, grocery store staff, faith leaders, and other people that older adults frequently interact with. Organized social activities are great ways to boost social engagement. For example, community exercise programs improve both physical activity and connections with others. Additionally, volunteering, faith-based and community events, scheduling regular time to get together with friends, and recreation and hobby groups are also promising ways to promote social engagement in rural areas.
While older adults in rural areas report having more relationships than older adults in urban settings, they report higher levels of loneliness and face risks for social isolation, such as living in communities that are not walkable and farther from family, friends, and loved ones; having limited access to broadband internet and cellular connectivity; and having fewer economic resources.
Community supports, such as transportation services, meal delivery, and senior centers, can connect older adults to needed resources while also providing opportunities for social interaction. Partnerships with trusted entities such as senior centers, libraries, faith-based organizations, and other community organizations may expand opportunities for older adults to form social connections.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are public or private nonprofit agencies responsible for addressing the needs and concerns of older adults at a local, state, and regional level. AAAs coordinate and offer services that help older adults remain at home, such as Meals-on-Wheels. Older adults can find information about their local AAA on the Eldercare Locator website.
Models exist to support the social and emotional needs of older adults aging in place, including senior center programs, home-delivered meals, adult day service centers, peer support and social engagement programs, and caregiver support.
Senior centers can offer a variety of services to effectively meet the medical, social, nutritional, and recreational needs of older adults, which is important in rural areas that have fewer available social services. Senior centers are also a practical setting to deliver evidence-based health promotion programs. Participation in senior centers is a common way to receive evidence-based programs funded through the Title III-D of the Older Americans Act, such as nutrition programs, fitness programs, and activities that enhance civic engagement, social support, education, and the arts.
Home-delivered meals are an important service for older adults who may have difficulty with cooking or grocery shopping. Home-delivered meals are an evidence-based approach recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force to improve older adult nutritional intake.
Adult day services centers offer community-based services in a safe setting to serve older adults who cannot be alone during the day or those who need assistance with basic daily activities. Activities and services at adult day care centers can support recreational and social activities to keep older adults active. Adult day centers are a promising approach for improving older adults' mental health, social engagement, physical function, and quality of life.
Peer support and social engagement programs promote the well-being of rural aging populations by addressing isolation and fostering a sense of purpose and connection through existing social networks. Some groups may require tailored social engagement programs. For example, men and women may experience different social needs and have different social preferences. Further, social stigma may prevent older men from seeking help for mental health concerns related to loneliness.
- Friendly visitor programs use volunteers or peers that visit older adults regularly, offering companionship and emotional support.
- Intergenerational programs allow shared learning and connections across generations and can benefit all ages. Programs that bring together older adults and youth can have positive impacts on communities. Additionally, programs that serve both older adults and children are beneficial in rural areas where workforce and resources are limited.
- Service exchange and time banking models allow aging adults to trade their skills, such as baking, sewing, or bookkeeping, for other services like rides to grocery stores or wellness checks.
- Peer support groups are also beneficial. For example, in North Carolina, where suicide rates among older men have been increasing, the Men’s Conversation Group was created to connect older men to one another, building friendships and mutual support. For both urban and rural residing members, the program has facilitated friendships, social activities, and improved mental health. Another program example is Men's Sheds, where older men can congregate and collaborate on projects. This approach fosters social connections and supports physical and mental health, while simultaneously offering a fun activity.
Considerations for Implementation
Promoting social engagement among rural older adults is an important part of community-based programs. Incorporating feedback from rural older adults into social engagement and community support models can help ensure that programs meet local needs. Social norms and preferences may differ depending on the local older adult populations served. Involving community members as champions or co-leaders in social engagement and community support models incorporates the voices of older adults into programs.
Resources to Learn More
engAGED Older Adults Publications
Website
Compiles publications on the best practices of older adult social engagement programs.
Organization(s): The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults
Loneliness and Social
Isolation Are Common in Rural America. Is "Social Infrastructure" the Solution?
Document
Presents ways to build community gathering spaces to improve social isolation and loneliness, including
coffee shops, fitness clubs, and other spaces that can be adapted to support community engagement.
Organization(s): Rural Health Information Hub
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 6/2024
Loneliness and Social Isolation – Tips for Staying Connected
Website
Provides an overview of social isolation and loneliness among older adults and its impacts on health.
Discusses risk factors for social isolation, and shares strategies and resources to stay engaged with
family and friends.
Organization(s): National Institute on Aging
Social Engagement in Rural Communities: Takeaways from the 2023 USAging Annual Conference
Document
Presents findings from a 2023 national round table discussion on rural social engagement. Key topics
include barriers to social connection, partnerships, and rural social engagement programming.
Organization(s): The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults
Date: 11/2023
Social Isolation and Loneliness:
Insights from Rural Clinical Providers and Other Experts
Document
Discusses the complexities of social isolation in rural communities and promising solutions to boost
social infrastructure at the community level.
Author(s): Miller Temple, K.
Organization(s): Rural Health Information Hub
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 7/2019