Its People Looking After

People: The Role of Social

Networks in Rural Aging
Communities
Elaine C. Wiersma
Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health
Department of Health Sciences
Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, Ontario

Wiersma, 2013

Introduction

The rural idyll

Resource-based towns
Community perceptions of volunteering
Separating out formal volunteerism and
informal help or a culture of caring

E. Wiersma 2013

Northwestern Ontario
2.0% of the population

Population decreased by 0.4%

per year between 1994-2004

4.1% Francophone

13.9% Aboriginal

Lower education level

44% of adults have postsecondary education (49%
provincial average)

32% have not completed

highschool (25.7%
provincial average)

Highest unemployment rate

in the province

Highest incidence of
chronic disease
Northwest LHIN 2009 Population Health Profile

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/providers/information/resources/profiles/profile_northwest.pdf

The Studies
The Experience of Aging in Northwestern Ontario:
Economic Instability and Rural Communities
(Wiersma & Koster)
Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Research Development InitiativeNorthern 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

E. Wiersma 2013

The Context

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Community Context
But the other thing about Birchdale Grove that I think
makes it so unique is, everybodys is imported...
Everybody came from somewhere else and tried to fit
in, into a very small community. So you either fit in or
you left. So because of that, you also developed
tolerance of different groups of people. Like in some
ways, I think it was a more accepting community
because of that because you remember when you
moved here if you wanted to fit in somewhere, so if a
stranger comes up, you try and be nice and make
them feel at home, right? of the world? (Health
Service Provider)

Sense of Family
So I think its one of a kind. Its people looking after people and
I think when you want to describe Birchdale Grove, whats its
greatest asset, its the people. Yeah. And thats why most
people want to stay because they build these friendships. So
you have extended families becausenot by blood, but just by
friendship. (Health Service Provider)
Ive never had family here. Never. Like other than my own two
kids. I was married, yes, and he died. And when he died, I had
the 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 couldnt ask for better friends and better
friendships. (Older Adult)

What happens when dementia

is introduced into the picture?
But I think that maybe living in the smaller community where
people know each other and have known each other often times
for many, many years allows for people to stay longer in their
homes and still connect on a social dimension with the public.
People who have Alzheimers move within our community. We
might know that they are forgetful. Well check if we see them
downtown where theyre headed, where theyre going. Do they
need a ride? Are they lost? Do they need a ride to their sons?
And I find that the public in our communities, because we know
each other so well, often supports the patients with early
Alzheimers; and even later stages of Alzheimers

E. Wiersma 2013

And some of them, I know their patterns so

well that if they dont show up for a certain
thing or whatever, then I start toI say, Okay,
somethings wrong. This person usually
phones if theyre not coming or whatever, so
theres something wrong. So right away Ill
get on the phone with eitheryou know,
phone if they have family and tell them.
[Other community member]

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I think the support system can be much stronger in a small

community. I think in a small community, we all take
responsibility for our seniors, where in a city you hear stories all
the time of someone wandering away and, you know, they could
be wandering on the street and nobody would really approach
them. I think the likelihood of that happening in a small
community is very much less. If we see a senior in this
community who appears to be in difficulty at all, everybody just
kind of rallies around. And even if we see a senior whos in the
grocery store carrying grocery bags, its totally unheard of that
people would walk by and not say, Can I give you a ride home?
Theres just much more of an ownership of responsibility for
people who have challenges, whether they be seniors or children,
or people who are facing developmental challenges. [Other
Community Member]

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Support Provided by Family,

Neighbours, and Friends
Watching peoples 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

But are there limits?

And sometimes theres resentment; and just say the
people across the street there - their children all live
down in some other place and the mom and dad are
calling and they need all this help. And its sort of like,
Well, why should I help them? these kids that
never come home or something. So you sort of
wonder what the dynamic is going to play out
because the extended family is not here. (Health
Service Provider)

Limits

Its 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 we
have to be prepared to have a system in place that will look after that, even
if it still remains to some degree a volunteer group. But an organized
volunteer group so that you know that If my caregiver is going away, I can
rely 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 couple
weeks because the person that did tend to go and check on them didnt
finish, went on vacation and wasnt around. And its like theres no
alternative then. So its concerting to think that if you arent really a very
pleasant person that there arent going to be a lot of people chomping at
the bit to try to go and take your particular brand of abuse. (Health Service
Provider)

THE MAIN
QUESTIONS:
Are social networks safety nets? And if so, how strong
are they?
Can rural northern communities stay age-friendly as
the 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?

Thanks
Elaine C. Wiersma
Acting Director, Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health
Associate Professor, Department of Health Sciences
Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, Ontario
(807) 766-7250
ewiersma@lakeheadu.ca
http://cerah.lakeheadu.ca/

E. Wiersma 2012