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Social needs of older people: a systematic literature review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2017

TINA TEN BRUGGENCATE ,
KATRIEN G. LUIJKX  and
JANIENKE STURM
TINA TEN BRUGGENCATE*
Affiliation:
Department of Tranzo, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Institute for HRM and Psychology, Fontys University of Applied Science, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
KATRIEN G. LUIJKX
Affiliation:
Department of Tranzo, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
JANIENKE STURM
Affiliation:
Institute for HRM and Psychology, Fontys University of Applied Science, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
*
Address for correspondence: Tina ten Bruggencate, Chair of People and Technology, Institute for HRM and Psychology, Fontys University of Applied Science, Emmasingel 28, 5611 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands E-mail: t.tenbruggencate@fontys.nl
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Abstract

Social needs are important basic human needs. When social needs are not satisfied, this can lead to mental and physical health problems. With a growing population of older adults and the need for them to stay healthy and community-dwelling, satisfying social needs is important. The aim of this review is to give more insight into the social needs of older people and subsequently into the characteristics of effective interventions for satisfying older people's social needs. A systematic review of the existing literature on quantitative, qualitative and mixed empirical studies on the social needs of older people was conducted. The themes that emerged were diversity, proximity, meaning of the relationship and reciprocity. These themes offered several intervention implications. Participation in hobbies and in volunteer work and being connected were among the main findings. The social needs of older people are diverse. They focus on both the intimate and the peripheral members of their networks. When satisfying social needs, reciprocity is important. The feeling of connectedness to others and to a community or neighbourhood contributes to wellbeing as well as a feeling of independence. Staying active by doing volunteer work or participating in (leisure) social activities satisfies social needs. Therefore, interventions should focus especially on the connectedness, participation and independence of the older adult.

Keywords

social needsinterventionsolder adultsSocial Production Function Theory of Successful Agingsocial convoy modelsocio-emotional selectivity theory
Type
Review
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 9 , September 2018 , pp. 1745 - 1770
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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