Feeling Lonely While Ageing in Place in the Netherlands: Questioning the Importance of Shopping Spaces for Older People

Abstract More than half of the Dutch older population feels lonely, meaning their social relationships do not meet their needs. As people are predominantly ageing in place (AIP) instead of in care homes, their everyday experiences become more localised and neighbourhood spaces gain traction as important spaces of encounter. This paper specifically questions to what extent shopping spaces are important in the daily lives of lonely older people. Ten narrative interviews with independently living older people in or nearby the City of ‘s‐Hertogenbosch revealed three important research results, each illustrating the complex relations between ageing, loneliness and shopping spaces. The paper concludes that ageing well in place requires more than the provision of accessible and well‐designed (shopping) spaces of encounter outside older people’s homes; it is equally important to reduce loneliness from within their homes. Robust social support services are essential for older people to AIP and sustain their social relationships.