Community stakeholders’ perspectives on supporting the well-being of older adults: a focus group study on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: By 2050, one in four Dutch residents will be aged 65 years or older, intensifying the need to sustain older adults' well-being amid growing pressure on health and social care systems. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stress test, revealing both vulnerabilities and resilience in the support for older adults. METHODS: We conducted a focus group study to examine the requirements for promoting the well-being of community-dwelling older adults in the context of increasingly constrained health and social care systems, as perceived by community care professionals, informal caregivers, older adults, and public health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six online, semi-structured focus groups with a total of 22 participants were held between October 2021 and May 2022 and analysed using abductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three overarching themes emerged. Firstly, participants called for person-centred approaches that reflect the diverse realities of older adults, despite constrained resources in health and social care systems. Secondly, participants emphasised strategies extending beyond medical care, focusing on prevention and collaboration across sectors. Thirdly, participants stressed empowering older adults to maintain autonomy, resilience, and social connection through proactive outreach and community-based support. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting the well-being of older adults requires a continuous commitment to preventive, context-sensitive approaches, even amid constrained resources within health and social care systems. This entails embedding adaptivity within national frameworks to adapt to local contexts, fostering cross-sector collaboration to deliver person-centred care, and creating environments that empower older adults to actively prepare for ageing.