Wiersma.pdf

8/17/2019 Wiersma.pdf

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“It’s People Looking After

People”: The Role of SocialNetworks in Rural Aging

CommunitiesElaine C. Wiersma

Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health

Department of Health SciencesLakehead UniversityThunder Bay, Ontario

Wiersma, 2013


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Introduction

• The rural idyll• Resource-based towns•

Community perceptions of volunteering• Separating out formal volunteerism and

informal help… or a “culture of caring”

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The Studies• The Experience of Aging in Northwestern Ontario:

Economic Instability and Rural Communities(Wiersma & Koster)

– Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research CouncilResearch Development Initiative —Northern Communities:

Toward Social and Economic Prosperity• Understanding Dementia in Rural Northern

Communities (Wiersma & Denton) – Funded by the Alzheimer Society of Canada Research Grants

Program

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The Methodology

• Focused ethnography• Understanding various perspectives• Older adults•

Health service providers• Community members (business owners, clergy,

township council, township staff)• Friends, family, neighbours• Study 1: 84 participants• Study 2: 71 participants

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The Context

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Community ContextBut the other thing about Birchdale Grove that I thinkmakes it so unique is, everybody’s is imported...

Everybody came from somewhere else and tried to fitin, into a very small community. So you either fit in oryou left. So because of that, you also developedtolerance of different groups of people. Like in some

ways, I think it was a more accepting communitybecause of that because you remember when youmoved here if you wanted to fit in somewhere, so if astranger comes up, you try and be nice and makethem feel at home, right? of the world? (HealthService Provider)


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Sense of FamilySo I think it’s one of a kind. It’s people looking after people and

I think when you want to describe Birchdale Grove, what’s itsgreatest asset, it’s the people. Yeah. And that’s why mostpeople want to stay because they build these friendships. Soyou have extended families because…not by blood, but just byfriendship. (Health Service Provider)

I’ve never had family here. Never. Like other than my own twokids. I was married, yes, and he died. And when he died, I hadthe kids and brought them up on my own. So as far as having,like, my mother live here or somebody for support – never. But

this is a fabulous town when it comes to friendship and friends,because you couldn’t ask for better friends and betterfriendships. (Older Adult)


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What happens when dementiais introduced into the picture?

But I think that maybe living in the smaller community wherepeople know each other and have known each other often timesfor many, many years allows for people to stay longer in theirhomes and still connect on a social dimension with the public.People who have Alzheimer’s move within our community. Wemight know that they are forgetful. We’ll check if we see themdowntown where they’re headed, where they’re going. Do theyneed a ride? Are they lost? Do they need a ride to their son’s?And I find that the public in our communities, because we knoweach other so well, often supports the patients with early

Alzheimer’s; and even later stages of Alzheimer’s…

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And some of them, I know their patterns sowell that if they don’t show up for a certainthing or whatever, then I start to…I say, “Okay,

something’s wrong. This person usually phones if they’re not coming or whatever, sothere’s something wrong.” So right away I’llget on the phone with either…you know,

phone if they have family and tell them.[Other community member]

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Support Provided by Family,Neighbours, and Friends

• Watching people’s homes when away • Shovelling driveways and mowing lawns• Home maintenance chores• Picking up groceries or prescriptions• Driving to medical appointments• Providing meals in short-term situations• Checking up on seniors• Taking seniors shopping• Donating medical equipment• Visiting• Some personal care• Watching out for people living with dementia


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But are there limits?• And sometimes there’s resentment; and just say the

people across the street there - their children all livedown in some other place and the mom and dad arecalling and they need all this help. And it’s sort of like,“Well, why should I help them?” – these kids thatnever come home or something. So you sort ofwonder what the dynamic is going to play outbecause the extended family is not here. (Health

Service Provider)


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Limits• It’s good to rely on volunteers, but then you over -tax them and then the ones

that volunteer becomes the patient. Then who looks after them? So wehave to be prepared to have a system in place that will look after that, evenif it still remains to some degree a volunteer group. But an organizedvolunteer group so that you know that “If my caregiver is going away, I canrely on someone else”. (Health Service Provider)

• But the only problem with that is, because it is informal, it lacks continuity. And so there are people that have been dead in their homes for like a coupleweeks because the person that did tend to go and check on them didn’t

finish, went on vacation and wasn’t around. And it’s like there’s noalternative then. So it’s concerting to think that if you aren’t really a very

pleasant person that there aren’t going to be a lot of people chomping atthe bit to try to go and take your particular brand of abuse. (Health ServiceProvider)


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THE MAIN

QUESTIONS:

• Are social networks safety nets? And if so, how strongare they?

• Can rural northern communities stay age-friendly asthe population continues to age?

• What about dementia-friendly communities?• Is there a place for policy in informal social supports?

If so, what does this look like?


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ThanksElaine C. Wiersma

Acting Director, Centre for Education and Research on Aging & HealthAssociate Professor, Department of Health Sciences

Lakehead UniversityThunder Bay, Ontario

(807) [email protected]

http://cerah.lakeheadu.ca/

E. Wiersma 2012
mailto:[email protected]://cerah.lakeheadu.ca/http://cerah.lakeheadu.ca/mailto:[email protected]

Wiersma.pdf

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