RESEARCH SNAPSHOT
“Seniors in the Suburbs”: Understanding belonging & community connection - together!

Collaborators:

WHO? (Researcher Team)

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Investigators:
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Dr. Sonya Jakubec*, Mount Royal University
Dr. Marg Olfert, Mount Royal University
Liza Choi, Mount Royal University
Nicole Dawe, Mount Royal University

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Anna Mollo, Research Assistant; MRU
Dr. Dwayne Sheehan, Collaborator; MRU,
Canadian Academy for Healthier Generations
Cynthia Watson, Collaborator; VIVO; Canadian
Academy for Healthier Generations

WHY? (Purpose)
The roles of place & belonging on wellbeing
are increasingly understood. Seniors are
increasingly living in suburbs – though little is
known about the strengths, strategies and
struggles! The views of seniors were the place
for Vivo to begin to understand how to work
together.
This study asked:
o What does belonging mean to seniors in
Calgary’s NE/Central suburbs?
o What are the facilitators & barriers?
o What could belonging look like for
seniors in the suburbs?

WHAT? (Research Process)
This exploratory research project used focus group methods to learn about community health and
belonging for seniors living in Calgary NE/N. Central suburbs. The purpose was to gather the views
and opinions of groups of seniors who were already engaged in community outreach and activities. In
2015, a total of 36 seniors were consulted from 3 existing groups, including an activity group and 2
cultural (Pujabi and Chinese) groups.
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SO WHAT? Research Discoveries…

Belonging in the community means...
•FEELING ... attached, comforted, accepted, respected, visible & useful
•KNOWING ... the resources & activities available
•BEING ... part of something bigger (community of all ages, abilities, & cultures)
•DOING ... sharing experiences & activities, meeting together, reading/gathering
information, hearing & being heard

Belonging is supported (or hindered) by ...
• PERSONAL FACTORS eg. curiosity/interest , hope, desire/will
• RELATIONAL FACTORS eg. leadership, seeking similarities, inclusion
• COMMUNITY FACTORS eg. isolation/separation, professionalized
helping

Belonging looks like...
• Connecting to others of all ages, cultures & circumstances
• Contributing to wellbeing & social life
• Learning & recreating in cooperation & common spaces

NOW WHAT? Next Steps…
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Seniors are connecting – activity day event August 2016!
Research Dissemination (Participant feedback, ARPA Conference, City of Calgary Active Aging
Think Tank, Canadian Assoc. for Gerontology, papers in progress)
Spin off proposals (programming, student experiences and further research)

For further information contact lead investigator: Dr. Sonya L. Jakubec sjakubec@mtroyal.ca

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