Framing Facets of Social Participation: Older Adults' Experiences of "Social Online Meetings".

Changing demographics with an increased proportion of older adults indicate the need to develop new health-promoting interventions where the potential of digitization is considered. The aim was to explore and create an understanding of how social online meetings are experienced by older adults. Interviews with older adults generated data that were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The participants were interviewed after participating in a digital health promotion group initiative provided in a municipality context. A core conceptual category and three subcategories reflected an intertwined process of discovering facets of social participation where internal reflections on personal values and needs were nurtured by an external driven process of becoming part of a group in an online context. Occupational therapists and other health and social care professionals need to consider the various facets of social participation when supporting older adults active and healthy aging.

Older Adults' Experiences of "Social Online Meetings"Promoting health among older adults is an important societal issue. Changing demographics with an increased proportion of older adults indicate the need to develop new health-promoting interventions. However, it is important to explore how such interventions in municipal settings meet the needs of older adults and the circumstances that influence their participation. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how older adults experience social online meetings. Seven older adults who had participated in an intervention called "social online meetings" were interviewed about their experiences. The findings demonstrate how older adults come to explore various dimensions of social participation and the value it holds for their everyday life. This gave rise to achieving new perspectives on everyday activities and encouraged personal development, and generated ideas for change. Occupational therapists and other health and social care professionals should consider how older adults' social participation can be promoted when designing health-promoting interventions online.

Older adults' experiences of maintaining social participation: Creating opportunities and striving to adapt to changing situations.

BACKGROUND: Social participation concerns the possibility of engaging in activities in interaction with others or society at large and contributes to the health and well-being of older adults. In contrast, a lack of social participation is associated with loneliness. It is, therefore, important to understand what strategies older adults use to maintain social participation. AIM: To explore and describe older adults' experiences of maintaining social participation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine older adults, aged 69-92 years, participated in interviews that were analysed through qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The overall findings reflect how older adults create opportunities for social participation by developing strategies and striving to adapt to changing situations, emphasizing how maintaining social participation is an active process. Preserving social participation requires motivation and an effort to take initiative to cultivate social relations, maintain community bonds, engage in social events and activities and stay connected with society. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: These results may extend our understanding of strategies that older adults use, as well as the challenges they face when striving to adapt to new circumstances. This study may have implications for the practice of how to support older adults' social participation.

Participation in social internet-based activities: five seniors' intervention processes.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how client-centred occupational therapy intervention processes for participation in meaningful Social Internet-Based Activities (SIBAs) can be designed, and to explore the influences of participation in SIBAs on seniors' social activities and social contacts. METHOD: A qualitative, descriptive, multiple-case study was conducted, and an intervention was provided to the five participants, who were aged 65-85. Data were collected through assessment tools, field notes, and interviews. RESULTS: The participants' needs and challenges related to SIBAs varied during the intervention processes. Individual-adapted support was provided for the seniors (by the occupational therapist) to managing the introduction to different SIBAs, their appearance on the internet, and the lack of privacy. The association between the seniors' participation in SIBAs and their satisfaction with these activities, as well as their social contacts, requires further exploration. CONCLUSIONS: Client-centred occupational therapy interventions can support seniors' participation in SIBAs and their self-reliance when performing these activities.