Around 20% of Canadians reside in rural or remote areas, or smaller communities. Social support may support older Canadians living in these settings but less is known about this topic. We wanted to know about social support because of our interest in social prescribing, a health and social model of care introduced relatively recently into parts of Canada
What we did…
To summarize information on this topic, we conducted a systematic review (a comprehensive summary of published studies) from the year 2000 and later. We included studies which used quantitative (e.g., surveys, number-based measurements) and qualitative (thoughts and perceptions based on interviews or focus groups) information.
What we found…
After searching multiple online databases, we found 12 published studies which included six quantitative, five qualitative, and one mixed methods (used both types of data) studies. Further, they included information from Canada-wide surveys, and/or the provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan
Take home message…
One key take home message from our summary highlighted that older adults from smaller Canadian settings may have fewer “formal” support (e.g., health and social providers), and they may rely more on family or friends. However, there were some concerns on the longer term sustainability of this approach. New models of care — such as social prescribing or similar services — may help older adults remain in their communities but this needs to be explored.
Check out our publication
Iverson, T., Schulze, M., Gill, K., Switkowski, Y., Dos Santos, I. K., & Ashe, M. C. (2025). Older adults and social support in rural Canada: A rapid mixed methods systematic review to inform social prescribing. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 139, 106022.
