Social Support, Social Participation, and Life Accomplishment of Older Adult Residents of Assisted Living Facilities and Their Adjoining Communities

Christopher Olusanjo Akosile; Chisom Onyekwuluje; Ukamaka Gloria Mgbeojedo; Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye; Ayodeji Ayodele Fabunmi; Emeka Usman Mong; Anita Chinwendu Okafor

doi:10.1177/23337214231218797

Social Support, Social Participation, and Life Accomplishment of Older Adult Residents of Assisted Living Facilities and Their Adjoining Communities

Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2023 Dec 24:9:23337214231218797. doi: 10.1177/23337214231218797. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Christopher Olusanjo Akosile¹, Chisom Onyekwuluje¹, Ukamaka Gloria Mgbeojedo², Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye¹, Ayodeji Ayodele Fabunmi³, Emeka Usman Mong⁴, Anita Chinwendu Okafor⁵

Affiliations

¹ Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria.
² University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu State, Nigeria.
³ University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
⁴ Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
⁵ Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess and compare levels of social support (SS), social participation (SP) and life accomplishment (LA) among older adults in some assisted-living facilities (ALFs) and their community-dwelling (CD) peers. Methods: One hundred twenty older adults (54 ALF, 66 CD) from a Nigerian population participated in this cross-sectional survey. The Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, the Participation Scale and the Life Habit Questionnaires were used to evaluate levels of SS, SP, and LA, respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman rank order correlation, at .05 alpha level. Results: Participation restriction (PR) was significantly more prevalent among the ALF group compared to the CD group (χ² = 12.74; p = .01) but the two groups enjoyed comparable level of SS. LA was significantly better for the CD group in the overall score. LA had significant correlation with PR in both the ALFs (r = -.44; p < .05) and CD (r = -.62; p < .05) group. Conclusions: Older adults in ALFs received moderate SS, had LA, and a high PR, while CD older adults received a high SS and LA but had no PR. The findings implicate that social participation and enhancing community support for older adults may be important for a sustainable community.

Keywords: life accomplishment; older adults; social participation; social support.