'We are all on our own here': Pandemic heightened lack of social connection for older Black adults in Saskatoon

Research from the University of Regina (U of R) has found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound negative impact on the social lives of older Black adults living in Saskatoon.

Vivian Puplampu is an associate professor at U of R and has worked in nursing and gerontology for more than five years. Before the pandemic, she noticed not many Black people were attending Senior Neighborhood Hub Clubs, hosted by the Saskatoon Council on Aging.

She says Black adults already had limited social connections with mainstream Canadian society and were feeling isolated, but the pandemic made that problem even worse.

Puplampu became concerned about how older Black adults were coping.

“It’s a population where their voices aren’t heard. Nobody knows about them and we tend to have the impression there are not older Black people in Saskatoon,” Puplampu said.

The study found that those who lived in the city with short-term residences reported greater levels of loneliness and financial difficulties.

Puplampu says she knew she wanted to find a way to help them by researching how older Black adults, including immigrants, coped during the height of the pandemic.

“Who is checking on them? Who is talking to them? Who is helping them meet their needs? Many Black people travel to their home countries and when there was a lockdown and people couldn’t travel, that was another layer to the loneliness,” she said.

The main research themes include experiences during the pandemic, social capital during the pandemic, life in Canada and interest in an organization for older Black adults.

Puplampu says discrimination in some spaces can often lead Black people to feel unwanted and make them feel reluctant to go back.

“Discrimination for the Black population and older Black adults is a daily experience. We know it and we feel it.”

One participant in the research study describes not knowing if someone moved away from them due to social distancing or due to racism.

People of African Descent and Friends Seniors’ Hub Club launched in Saskatoon in September as a direct result of the study. It’s something Puplampu hopes will give older Black adults a chance to socialize and meet new people.

 

‘I'VE LEARNED WHAT LONELINESS IS’

Jenny Lawrence and her husband moved to Saskatchewan from South Africa around 15 years ago. Lawrence describes herself as a people person who loves to socialize and says the pandemic heightened her feeling of loneliness.

“We are all on our own here. When we come into Canada, everyone and every country keeps to themselves,” Lawrence said.

“Here, I’ve learned what loneliness is. I’ve come and learned more about loneliness.”

Lawrence has since joined the “People of African Descent and Friends Seniors Hub Club” and says the group has been welcoming. Meeting with people who have similar life experiences as her has proven beneficial.

“What we see amongst each other and what we learn, it really works.”

Clyde Boucher has lived in Saskatoon for over 50 years and helped create the Hub Club for older Black adults. He says the Black community comes from many different countries and speaks different languages.

“We don’t really get together and sometimes we’re not able to access the services that are available to us, the older folks,” Boucher said.

Boucher felt it was important to reach out to older Black adults so they could get together and feel connected.

“They can reach out to someone who looks like them. People can be timid, they can be scared, and because of that, even if it’s language, there is always someone in the community who they can speak to,” Boucher said.

Puplampu says her team is now applying for more funding to support the Hub Club and to establish one in Regina.