Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine psychosocial adjustment following transition from the nursing home (NH) to community and understand the ways in which adjustment intersects with social connection.
Methods: We conducted interviews with community-dwelling older male Veterans after they were discharged from an NH. Interviews focused on Veterans' experience during the transition process. We utilized conventional content analysis to inductively code the interviews. We reviewed evidence in each identified domain for common themes.
Results: We interviewed 13 NH residents after recent transitions from the NH back to the community. Four themes were identified: (1) access to and quality of social support network are important for social connection, (2) engagement in meaningful activities with family and friends improves well-being, (3) service providers form link to social connection, and (4) external stressors affect the quality of social connections.
Conclusions: Identified themes aligned with respondents' social connectedness and perceived psychosocial and physical well-being. Our results suggest that social connectedness is one part of the larger milieu of healthy aging including the importance of engagement with social opportunities and having a purpose.
Clinical implications: Social connectedness is critical to assess for older adults transitioning between care settings. Developing screening tools and other interventions focused on social isolation are needed.
Keywords: Social connectedness; long-term care; older adults; qualitative; transitions of care.