Navigating Spatial Capital: Friendships Beyond Traditional Caregiving in Old Age

Abstract

As ageing populations pose a pressing challenge to global care systems, the ‘community turn’ has refocused care geographies on the critical roles of friendships and informal networks. This shift underscores the value of social capital, which includes trust, resources, and sense of belonging from social relations. However, the role of space in shaping these networks has been largely overlooked. Introducing the concept of ‘spatial capital’, this paper emphasises the value derived from engaging with specific spaces, particularly communal ‘third places’. Transient connections, such as sharing laughter and light-touch companionship, gain prominence.

Employing a novel version of mixed-method Social Network Analysis, I show that space and people are mutually constitutive within care networks, mapping the daily interactions of 30 seniors in Singapore. I identify three archetypes—Communal Gazers, Seeking Groupies, Traversing Nomads— that delineate how both local and extra-local spaces serve as “social brokers”. Such spaces extend from local neighbourhood areas like common corridors, to broader settings including friends’ homes, religious spaces, eateries, and travel destinations. I show that spaces—not just social actors—possess capacities to ‘bridge’ and ‘bond’, creating and deepening social connections.

The paper also expands on the critical moments of strain in relationships, to underscore seniors’ proactive strategies in navigating shifts in their care networks. By emphasising the spatially-anchored resilience of transient ties and seniors’ creative agency in navigating relationship strains, I broaden our understanding of care, suggesting a more inclusive paradigm that recognises the range of interactions that support seniors’ well-being in today’s complex care landscape.