Opportunities, challenges, and future directions for the public social participation of older adults living in a rural region in Germany: Results from a mixed-methods study
研究德国乌克马克县老年人公共社会参与的现状，发现超60%的定居点有社交俱乐部，但面临贫困、基础设施不足等挑战，建议加强网络建设和定制化参与机会。
Social integration is considered beneficial for people's health. However, research shows mixed results for the older population and often lower social participation and related health-outcomes for rural areas, rendering rural-living seniors a potentially vulnerable group. This article explores current opportunities, challenges, and possible improvements for seniors' public social participation in the structurally weak and fast aging Uckermark county in northeastern Germany. With a mixed-methods approach, we geocoded public data on social clubs, conducted expert interviews, and applied a qualitative content analysis to gain insights into the structural conditions and social mechanisms of seniors' social participation in the Uckermark. Geocoding revealed that over 60% of the settlements have at least one social club and experts deemed the number of social activity offers sufficient. However, they reported challenges relating to declining physical health, poverty, infrastructural deficits, difficulties in outreach, a lack of motivation, conflicting relationships, regional mentality, and a struggle for sustainability. They suggested prioritizing rural seniors' lives in the political agenda, increased networking and sustainable reorganization of regional stakeholders, and providing tailored participation offers. The interviews highlight the interconnectedness of different groups and historically shaped socioeconomic developments in the rural community. Relating these results to international studies and aging theories, we conclude that there are common structural challenges in rural regions that foster seniors' social disengagement. However, dynamic and regionally specific relationships, norms, and preferences seem to play a major role in seniors' selective (dis-)engagement in public social activities and deserve greater attention in the provision and evaluation of participation offers. • Mixed-methods assessment of participation options for seniors in rural Germany. • Geocoding shows a coverage with social clubs in over 60% of Uckermark settlements. • Structural participation barriers relate to poverty, infrastructure, and sustainability. • Changing social needs, rural relationships, and local mentality deserve higher attention. • Experts recommend networking and tailoring of participation offers.