Establishing and maintaining social connectivity: An understanding of the lived experiences of older adults residing in regional and rural communities.

Objective: To better understand how to plan for an ageing demographic that resides in ever-changing community typologies. Design: Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Setting: Community settings in rural and regional towns in Queensland. Participants: Twenty-two people aged over 65 years living in regional and rural Australia. Interventions: Qualitative study of social connectedness. Main outcome measure(s): Thematic qualitative analysis. Results: Formal and informal social contact, through family, friends and social groups, was found to be important to the everyday lives of the participants. Conclusions: Social connections for older adults are important in maintaining independence and community engagement.