Older Adults’ Experiences of Social Exclusion in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study

Social inclusion is a crucial enabler for older adults’ well-being. It has been widely claimed that older adults have been mainly susceptible to social exclusion experiences. Notably, the social exclusion issue has been more profound during the covid-19 pandemic. Hence, the current study investigates older adults’ experiences of social exclusion within the less-discussed context of Pakistan. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out within the selected Union Councils of Lahore metropolitan Pakistan, including 11 older adults. Utilizing NVivo 12, the thematic analysis technique was mainly adopted to analyze the data. The analysis identified three main themes: restricted access to essential resources, lack of participation, and poor social relations and resources. The themes were interrelated, necessitating engagement across similar lines of professional responsibility and research that looked at many dimensions of social exclusion. This research contributes to understanding older adults' social exclusion experiences, including new outcomes on the significance of essential resources and active engagement and recommendations for overcoming exclusion. Adequate access and active participation in the necessary socio-political resources are proposed to confront social exclusion challenges among older adults. The concerned policymakers and social planners could use these findings to develop socially inclusive ageing communities.