Social capital and its contribution to the wellbeing of the older person in the Midlands Region Ireland.

Abstract

BACKGROUND The literature generally describes Social Capital as a characteristic of social structures made up of a network of relationships between residents of neighbourhoods and communities, focusing on levels of interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity and mutual aid (Portes, 1998; Barr & Russell, 2006). This study has been carried out in a Primary Health Care area in the Irish Midlands measuring Social Capital and its contribution to the wellbeing of the Older Person. The study uses a sample (n=195) of people over 65 years of age. AIM The aim of the study is to investigate the level of Social Capital experienced, to determine if it predicts the self-reported health, quality of life and degree of loneliness of older people in the Midlands region, Ireland. This study is cross-sectional measuring Social Capital indicators such as social participation, informal networks, generalised trust, sense of belonging and level of volunteering.