Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #120028

Spencer Moore, PhD, Centre for Health and Policy Studies, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada, 403-220-4207, moos@ucalgary.ca, Therese Riley, PhD, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, 3053, Australia, Ana Teixeira, MA, Dept. of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Hamilton Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Carrie Bon Bernard, MA, Mental Health Promotion, Calgary Health Region, 1509 Centre Street SW, PO Box 4016, Station C, Calgary, AB T2T 5T1, Canada, Valerie Haines, PhD, Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Sciences, Room 956, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada, and Alan Shiell, PhD, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.

As public health researchers we know that trust and social participation contribute to the emotional health of seniors. But what does it mean for seniors living in congregate housing to trust their neighbor or to participate in common activities? While the public health research on social capital has tended to measure social capital through survey questions such as “do you trust your neighbor,” we offer a qualitative approach and analysis of the social processes and dynamics characterizing trust and participation in senior housing residences. Central to understanding the meaning of trust and participation among seniors is an analysis of how seniors discursively construct the boundaries of their own identity and those of the community in which they reside. We attempt to disentangle the meaning seniors give to trust and participation based on their own personal involvement in residential activities versus the meaning they construct more indirectly via observation, rumors, or hearsay. Rather than viewing social capital as a collective good, as is common in public health research, our discussion emphasizes the processes through which senior residents become excluded from or included in community life and the perceived consequences these processes have for the health and well-being of seniors.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the learner will be able to
• discuss the use of qualitative approaches to study senior residential contexts and social capital,
• identify how such an approach differs from survey-based approaches, and
• assess the added-value of qualitative approaches for understanding healthy aging issues among seniors.

Keywords: Social Marketing, Housing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.