Older adults’ resilience in rural places: Explaining the role of place, time, and social connection during COVID-19
| dc.contributor.author | Herron, Rachel V. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lawrence, Breanna C. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Newall, Nancy E. G. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ramsey, Doug | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-02T15:35:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-02T15:35:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Older adults and their communities can be resilient, yet deficit-based portrayals of older adults living in rural communities remain common in research and public discourses. Drawing from contemporary research on aging, rural communities, and social connection, we explored rural older adults' resources and resilience processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal, case study research included 66 qualitative interviews with 22 older adults at three different points in time between May 2020 and June 2021 in rural Manitoba, Canada. Findings highlighted that even during this adverse time, many older adults experienced well-being in this study, demonstrating resilience. Explaining their experiences, participants described adopting new technologies and using long-established strategies to maintain important social relationships during periods of isolation. Participants social connections varied, with some experiencing lessening of loneliness over time. Some older adults resisted public health restrictions and developed their own mitigation strategies for safe gatherings while a loss of community spaces contributed to some participants' experiences of chronic loneliness and low levels of well-being. Purposeful community activities (especially volunteering), access to the outdoors, and access to essential community spaces (e.g., grocers and post-offices) were described as important strategies and resources at the local level. By describing rural older adults’ valued resources and resource gaps with attention to both place and time this study contributes to the growing body of research in relation to social connection and resilience and advances resilience theoretical approaches to the study of rural aging. | |
| dc.description.reviewstatus | Reviewed | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Faculty | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This study was funded by the Canada Research Chairs program. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Herron, R. V., Lawrence, B. C., Newall, N. E., & Ramsey, D. (2025). Older adults’ resilience in rural places: Explaining the role of place, time, and social connection during COVID-19. Journal of Rural Studies, 103579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103579 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103579 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22326 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Journal of Rural Studies | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ | |
| dc.title | Older adults’ resilience in rural places: Explaining the role of place, time, and social connection during COVID-19 | |
| dc.type | Article |