Home but still engaged: participation in social activities among the homebound
Open accessAbstract
PURPOSE: Participation in social and community activities that require leaving one's home is important to older adults; however, many older adults have difficulty or are unable to leave their dwellings, and little is known from national samples about issues related to remaining active outside the home or the barriers faced by these older adults. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative study of older adults (n = 7197), to understand the following: (1) the importance that homebound and semi-homebound adults place on involvement in social or community activities, (2) their current level of involvement, and (3) reported barriers to participation. RESULTS: Despite the heavy burden of functional limitations, depression, pain, and falls, homebound adults reported that activities outside the home were important to them ranging from 25.2 % (attend clubs) to 70.0 % (visit family). Similarly, semi-homebound older adults had a strong interest in such participation, including visiting friends and family (81.8 %), attending religious services (72.6 %), and going out for enjoyment (72.5 %). Many homebound adults reported health (42.9-64.1 % depending on the activity) and transportation (12.2-18.2 %) as barriers to participation. Semi-homebound adults also identified health (23.8-41.0 %) and transportation (6.5-10.2 %) as participation barriers. IMPLICATIONS: This information can be useful in designing community programs that will foster meaningful social and community engagement for older adults, which may improve their quality of life.
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Barriers to participating in community programming pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic, as most community programs were offered in-person, posing a significant barrier for older adults who experience challenges with participating in activities outside of their homes.
“Barriers to participating in community programming pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic, as most community programs were offered in-person, posing a significant barrier for older adults who experience challenges with participating in activities outside of their homes (37–42).”
From Telephone-based group mental health support for older adults in central Canada: pilot acceptability and effectiveness findings of The CONNECT Program (2025) · cites this paper as [41]
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- Authors
- Szanton, S. L., Roberts, L., Leff, B., Walker, J. L., Seplaki, C. L., Soones, T., Thorpe, R. J., & Ornstein, K. A.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Rochester (US)
- Mount Sinai Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Szanton, Sarah L.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Quality of Life Research
- Published
- 2016-02-17
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1913-1920
- ISSN
- 0962-9343 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2649
- PMC
- PMC4945681
- OpenAlex
- W2287480988
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Quality of Life Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG040100)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Keywords
- homebound older adults, social participation (health and rehabilitation), community participation, barriers to participation, transportation barriers, functional limitations, depression, falls, quality of life, National Health and Aging Trends Study
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Humans, Male, Quality of Life, Residence Characteristics, Social Behavior, Homebound Persons
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