The purpose of this focused ethnographic study was to develop an understanding of the experience of social engagement for new residents of a senior-designated apartment building in a Canadian urban area.  The study was conducted in an apartment building that caters to independent adults over the age of 55 years.

The findings were derived from data generated through time spent in the setting, participant-observation, retrieval of documents, interviews with older adults and other key informants, and a focus group discussion. This presentation will focus on one component of the findings which revealed that seniors who felt vulnerable created four types of connections to achieve their interaction goals: security, casual interaction, support and friendship. This finding provided a new understanding of the concept of social engagement in older adults previously lacking in the literature.

Nurses must recognize and familiarize themselves with the transitions and processes of normal, healthy aging, including relocation in settings other than long-term care facilities.  Future nursing research could explore social engagement with seniors living in a different senior-designated apartment building to examine for variation.  Also, the limited number of people in the social network of study participants should be explored further.