Gail Carin-Levy - ORCID: 0000-0001-6487-3343
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6487-3343Michelle Elliot - ORCID: 0000-0002-0181-5581
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0181-5581This paper reflects on a pilot study exploring the loneliness experiences of stroke survivors living
in remote rural communities in Scotland. Empirical evidence gathered at the time of establishing
this study demonstrated that there were no studies published around the subjective experiences
of stroke survivors living alone in remote rural Scottish communities. Yet, stroke survivors in rural
settings in other parts of the world report a longing for social contact as well as the experience of
a reduction in participation in shared activities, suggestive of potential loneliness and isolation.
This paper focuses on our experience interviewing one participant recruited in the early stages of
the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the study had to be terminated, but we were left
with data gathered from this one conversation which revealed a rich narrative centred around
past and present occupations. At no point was there any sense of loneliness expressed, despite
the context within which this participant lived: alone, in a remote community, experiencing a
degree of communication difficulties and unable to leave the house independently. All commonly
hallmark ‘warning signs’ of a person at risk of loneliness. In this reflection we offer perspectives on
assumptions and expectations of loneliness that are problematically constructed by the dominant
narratives and theories at the time.Funding for project expenses received by CASS, QMUhttps://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/jps/aop/article-10.1332-14786737Y2024D000000013/article-10.1332-14786737Y2024D000000013.xml?tab_body=pdfhttps://doi.org/10.1332/14786737Y2024D000000013aheadofprintaheadofprin
