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Rural older adults’ resilience in the context of COVID-19

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  • Herron, Rachel V.
  • Lawrence, Breanna C.
  • Newall, Nancy E.G.
  • Ramsey, Doug
  • Waddell- Henowitch, Candice M.
  • Dauphinais, Jennifer

Abstract

Public health and media discourses have often portrayed older adults as a vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, some emerging research is showing that older adults are faring better in terms of their mental health when compared to their younger counterparts. Understanding older adults' mental well-being during the pandemic requires in-depth exploration of the different place-based resources and systems around them. In particular, rural older adults face distinct challenges and opportunities related to accessing valued resources to promote their well-being. Drawing together research on aging and multi-systemic resilience, we explored what strategies, resources, and processes rural older adults valued in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. A series of 51 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted from May to August 2020 with 26 rural older adults in Manitoba, Canada. Despite adversities, participants drew on and developed resources at the individual, local, community, institutional, and societal level to support their well-being. Specifically, they identified individual strategies (e.g., positivity, acceptance, and gratitude), resources in their immediate environments (e.g., opportunities to keep busy, connect with friends, family and neighbours, and outdoor visits), and community organizations that contributed to their well-being. They also identified broader systems that shaped their resilience processes, such as access to health services, opportunities to volunteer and support others, media stories, reliable information, and public health policies and practices that value older adult lives. Importantly, some resources were less accessible to some participants, highlighting the need to develop strategies that address inequitable resources at different levels. By describing rural older adults’ resilience we seek to advance the growing body of research in relation to social ecological resilience that moves beyond a focus on individual characteristics to include understanding of the role of material, social, and cultural contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Herron, Rachel V. & Lawrence, Breanna C. & Newall, Nancy E.G. & Ramsey, Doug & Waddell- Henowitch, Candice M. & Dauphinais, Jennifer, 2022. "Rural older adults’ resilience in the context of COVID-19," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:306:y:2022:i:c:s0277953622004592
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115153
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Patrick Klaiber & Jin H Wen & Anita DeLongis & Nancy L Sin & Derek M Isaacowitz, 2021. "The Ups and Downs of Daily Life During COVID-19: Age Differences in Affect, Stress, and Positive Events," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(2), pages 30-37.
    2. Rachel V. Herron & Nancy E. G. Newall & Breanna C. Lawrence & Doug Ramsey & Candice M. Waddell & Jennifer Dauphinais, 2021. "Conversations in Times of Isolation: Exploring Rural-Dwelling Older Adults’ Experiences of Isolation and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Manitoba, Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Mark Scott, 2020. "Covid-19, Place-making and Health," Planning Theory & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 343-348, May.
    4. du Plessis, Valerie & Beshiri, Roland & Bollman, Ray D. & Clemenson, Heather, 2002. "Definitions of "Rural"," Agriculture and Rural Working Paper Series 28031, Statistics Canada.
    5. Agnes Higgins & Danika Sharek & Michele Glacken, 2016. "Building resilience in the face of adversity: navigation processes used by older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults living in Ireland," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(23-24), pages 3652-3664, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rochelle Thompson & Briana N. M. Hagen & Margaret N. Lumley & Charlotte B. Winder & Basem Gohar & Andria Jones-Bitton, 2022. "Mental Health and Substance Use of Farmers in Canada during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Boni, Zofia & Bertel, Diotima & Adler, Viktoria, 2024. "To stay or not to stay at home? The unintended consequences of public health advice for older adults in the context of Covid-19 and urban heat," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).

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