Frontiers in public health · 2026
Staying connected in a changing world: home-dwelling older adults experiences of belonging, well-being, and barriers to social life.
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Hugøy Therese, Eilertsen Grethe, Falkenberg Helle K, Hansen Anette
Аннотация
BACKGROUND: As "aging in place" becomes the global policy standard, understanding the social dimensions of living long lives at home is crucial. While the significance of remaining at home is well-documented, we lack insight into how health challenges and the receipt of home care nursing reshape older adults' social experiences. This study explores the experiences of social life in the context of aging in place among older home-dwelling people receiving home care services, aiming to provide a nuanced perspective on what it means to be socially connected.
METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in two Norwegian municipalities. Interviewing 24 older home-dwelling adults aged 75 + receiving home care nursing. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Social life was experienced as a dynamic and heterogeneous phenomenon, deeply rooted in personality and local context. Three main themes emerged: Side by side, worlds apart: the pursuit of belonging in changing times. The local environment acted either as a vital haven or a source of alienation as social circles diminished. Quality over quantity: Prioritizing meaningful connections over social quantity. Participants prioritized meaningful, deep connections over frequent social interactions, emphasizing a sense of belonging and well-being. From ease to effort: navigating barriers to social support. Maintaining a social life required significant effort due to health-related limitations. Participants balanced the desire for autonomy with an increasing need for support to remain socially integrated.
CONCLUSION: Well-being in changing times hinged on the local environment, experienced through the interplay between the neighborhood as a safe haven and an arena of disconnection. Within these environments, participants prioritized meaningful engagement over volume of social contacts; however, health-related barriers made it increasingly hard to maintain a social life. Supporting social engagement in later life necessitates more than merely encouraging individual initiative. A nuanced understanding of aging must account for the fact that individual capacity cannot be understood in isolation from the social and material conditions that sustain it. Clinicians and home care services should differentiate between desired solitude and involuntary loneliness to foster belonging, well-being, and a meaningful social life.
METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in two Norwegian municipalities. Interviewing 24 older home-dwelling adults aged 75 + receiving home care nursing. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Social life was experienced as a dynamic and heterogeneous phenomenon, deeply rooted in personality and local context. Three main themes emerged: Side by side, worlds apart: the pursuit of belonging in changing times. The local environment acted either as a vital haven or a source of alienation as social circles diminished. Quality over quantity: Prioritizing meaningful connections over social quantity. Participants prioritized meaningful, deep connections over frequent social interactions, emphasizing a sense of belonging and well-being. From ease to effort: navigating barriers to social support. Maintaining a social life required significant effort due to health-related limitations. Participants balanced the desire for autonomy with an increasing need for support to remain socially integrated.
CONCLUSION: Well-being in changing times hinged on the local environment, experienced through the interplay between the neighborhood as a safe haven and an arena of disconnection. Within these environments, participants prioritized meaningful engagement over volume of social contacts; however, health-related barriers made it increasingly hard to maintain a social life. Supporting social engagement in later life necessitates more than merely encouraging individual initiative. A nuanced understanding of aging must account for the fact that individual capacity cannot be understood in isolation from the social and material conditions that sustain it. Clinicians and home care services should differentiate between desired solitude and involuntary loneliness to foster belonging, well-being, and a meaningful social life.