The safety net of aging in place: understanding how older adults construct, develop, and maintain their social circles

Xiying Wang, Tiffany Knearem, Fanlu Gui, Srishti Gupta, Haining Zhu, Michael Williams, John M. Carroll

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Active engagement in social activities is important to maintain and promote healthy aging. In this study, we further investigate how older adults take the initiative role to support their health and well-being. To understand their active participation towards aging, we conducted an interview study with ten retirees who are “aging in place” (adults 65 and older who live independently). Our findings suggest that older adults are naturally developing a network of connections, which we refer to as their safety net. We have identified five social circles inside this safety net: predetermined, chosen, interest-based, location-based, and shared-identity circles. Each circle has a different impact on the support of older adults’ health and well-being. Based on these findings, we suggest taking the safety net into consideration when designing technologies to promote and maintain healthy aging.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 12th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, 2018
EditorsNoga Minsky, Venet Osmani
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Print)9781450364508
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018
Event12th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, PervasiveHealth 2018 - New York, United States
Duration: May 21 2018May 24 2018

Publication series

NamePervasiveHealth: Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare
ISSN (Print)2153-1633

Other

Other12th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, PervasiveHealth 2018
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew York
Period5/21/185/24/18

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Information Systems
  • Health Informatics
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Computer Science Applications

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