Older adults Participation in Community Music Bingo_Social score.pdf

This integrative review argues for a paradigm shift in community care for older adults, moving from a narrow, reactive focus on clinical and functional needs to a holistic model that actively promotes social well-being as a core determinant of health. It provides a systematic examination of three highly accessible and prevalent community activities—community music groups, bingo sessions, and structured peer support groups—and their distinct yet interconnected contributions to the physical, cognitive, psychological, and social health of older adults.

The paper synthesises interdisciplinary evidence from gerontology, neuroscience, and social psychology to construct a novel theoretical framework. It posits that these group activities function as essential "well-being ecosystems," not incidental leisure. Mechanisms such as cognitive stimulation, emotional regulation, social identity reinforcement, and the mitigation of loneliness are explored in detail, linking participation to outcomes like delayed functional decline and reduced acute healthcare utilisation.

A central conclusion is a call for the formal integration of social prescribing into community care assessments and care planning. This work is a critical resource for policymakers, community care managers, social workers, geriatricians, and anyone involved in designing preventative, person-centred systems for an ageing population. It positions structured social participation as a powerful, evidence-based, and cost-effective intervention fundamental to achieving sustainable and humane community care.

Keywords: Older adults; community care; social prescribing; well-being; loneliness; music participation; bingo; peer support; social isolation; successful ageing; biopsychosocial model; cognitive reserve.