Aging-in-place in rural and urban communities

In Canada, only 7% of older adults over the age of 65 years live in long term care facilities. The majority of seniors manage to live in their own home despite challenges. We have little knowledge, however on the needs of seniors, the services required to age-in-place, and the differences between rural or urban communities. This project highlights the needs of seniors living in a rural and an urban community in the province of New Brunswick, Canada and allows us to obtain a better understanding of home care services offered in the context of aging-in-place. The objectives of this qualitative ethnographic case study were: 1) to identify the needs of seniors living in rural and urban communities related to aging-in-place; 2) identify existing services related to aging-in-place; and 3) understand the present contribution and vision for the future of community organisations offering services to seniors. Individual interviews were conducted with key informants of community organizations as well as focus groups with older adults in the identified rural and urban communities. Interviews were recorded and transcribed followed by content analysis to identify common themes related to study objectives. Findings seem to indicate that present home care services do not meet older adults' needs for aging-in-place and that seniors need to take leadership if they want to facilitate aging-in-place. This project allows a better understanding of the needs and the expectations of seniors living in rural and urban New Brunswick related to aging-in-place.