Positive Aging: The Impact of a Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To test the effect of a community wellbeing intervention, delivered by community partners, on the wellbeing, resilience, optimism, and social connection of older adults in the general population (Study 1) and older adult carers (Study 2), a population at risk for low wellbeing.

Methods: Participants self-selected to take part in an 8-week multi-component wellbeing and resilience program consisting of weekly training sessions, and optional mentoring/peer support. Program participants and a natural control group were compared, post-intervention, on all outcomes of interest.

Results: Intervention participants (Study 1) reported significantly lower scores of social isolation, but no significant difference in wellbeing, optimism, or resilience. Intervention participants (Study 2) showed significantly higher scores on all measured outcomes except social isolation.

Conclusion: These studies point towards the potential benefits of wellbeing interventions for older adult from the general population and older adult carers, when delivered by community partners.

Clinical implications: Early interventions promoting mental health may contribute to reducing the burden of mental health conditions on individuals and the health care system. Studies with more rigorous designs and extended follow-up measurements are required to consolidate these positive initial findings.

KEYWORDS:

• PERMA
• positive aging
• positive psychology intervention
• resilience
• wellbeing and resilience program

Clinical Implications

• Carers, a group with generally low wellbeing, were particularly responsive to the wellbeing intervention program, showing greater differences in wellbeing, resilience, and optimism, compared to a natural control group who did not receive training.

• Early interventions that teach wellbeing and resilience skills to normal and at-risk populations may be effective in reducing the development of severe mental illness thus reducing the burden of mental illness on the individual and the health system.

• It is important to properly train and support non-research staff to collect adequate data and keep accurate records when collaborating on community-based research projects.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Tania Marin, a former colleague at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Wellbeing and Resilience Centre for data collection, and to current colleagues Gabriele Kelly and Marissa Carey for assistance with manuscript preparation.

Disclosure Statement

All authors, with the exception of Aaron Jarden, work for the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) Wellbeing and Resilience Centre (WRC). The WRC may derive benefits from publication of its academic and community projects.