scholarly journals Introduction: Framing Exclusion from Social Relations

Author(s):  
Vanessa Burholt ◽  
Marja Aartsen

AbstractIn this part we focus on the domain of exclusion from social relations where social relations can be defined as comprising social resources, social connections and social networks. Other types of social engagement with formal civic, political and voluntary groups and organisations are not included in this part, but instead are incorporated in the domain of civic exclusion [see Part VI]. Theorising on exclusion from social relations is facilitated by the ROSEnet Cost Action, which brought together experts in the field and led to the publication of a critical review and development of a conceptual model of exclusion from social relations for older people (Burholt et al. 2019). The model captured the complexity of exclusion from social relations through a subjective interpretation of the literature and took into account the inter-relationships between systems in the critical human ecology framework (Fig. 6.1). The synthesis of the findings was endorsed by the working group on social relations comprising 45 members from 25 countries. The purpose of this introduction is to outline what exclusion from social relations involves, and to frame the three contributions within this part in the broader research debates and scholarship on this topic.

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Burholt ◽  
◽  
Bethan Winter ◽  
Marja Aartsen ◽  
Costas Constantinou ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Michal Boyd ◽  
Cheryl Calvert ◽  
Annie Tatton ◽  
Zhenqiang Wu ◽  
Katherine Bloomfield ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objectives: The number of older people choosing to relocate to retirement villages (RVs) is increasing rapidly. This choice is often a way to decrease social isolation while still living independently. Loneliness is a significant health issue and contributes to overall frailty, yet RV resident loneliness is poorly understood. Our aim is to describe the prevalence of loneliness and associated factors in a New Zealand RV population. Design: A resident survey was used to collect demographics, social engagement, loneliness, and function, as well as a comprehensive geriatric assessment (international Resident Assessment Instrument [interRAI]) as part of the “Older People in Retirement Villages Study.” Setting: RVs, Auckland, New Zealand. Participants: Participants included RV residents living in 33 RVs (n = 578). Measurements: Two types of recruitment: randomly sampled cohort (n = 217) and volunteer sample (n = 361). Independently associated factors for loneliness were determined through multiple logistic regression with odds ratios (ORs). Results: Of the participants, 420 (72.7%) were female, 353 (61.1%) lived alone, with the mean age of 81.3 years. InterRAI assessment loneliness (yes/no question) was 25.8% (n = 149), and the resident survey found that 37.4% (n = 216) feel lonely sometimes/often/always. Factors independently associated with interRAI loneliness included being widowed (adjusted OR 8.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.15–16.48), being divorced/separated/never married (OR 4.76; 95% CI 2.15–10.54), poor/fair quality of life (OR 3.37; 95% CI 1.43–7.94), moving to an RV to gain more social connections (OR 1.55; 95% CI 0.99–2.43), and depression risk (medium risk: OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.53–4.35; high risk: OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.47–11.95). Conclusion: A considerable proportion of older people living in RVs reported feelings of loneliness, particularly those who were without partners, at risk of depression and decreased quality of life and those who had moved into RVs to increase social connections. Early identification of factors for loneliness in RV residents could support interventions to improve quality of life and positively impact RV resident health and well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S530-S530
Author(s):  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Georgia Casanova ◽  
Antonio Guaita

Abstract In the last decade the debate on ageing issues has been powered by the relationship between older people wellbeing, loneliness, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Social Networks Sites (SNSs). A scoping review on social experiment studies, analysing the casual effect of technologies use on older adults’ wellbeing and loneliness, has been realized to support the randomized controlled trial included in “Aging in a Networked Society” project. The study aims to review the social experiments on the relationship between technology-use, older people wellbeing and loneliness, to provide a critical analysis of studies, to underline drivers and barriers in existing literature and to provide recommendations for future study and policy. 133 papers have been selected using interdisciplinary search engines (Scopus, Pubmed, Web of sciences, Google Scholar), taking into account contents and methods used. An in-depth examination of 9 experiences of social experiment have been provided, focused on six dimensions: “aims”, “design”, “sampling”, “intervention”, “findings” and “limitations". The literature show the positive effects of ICT, internet and SNSs use on older people wellbeing and quality of life. Our review underlines how the older people shown interest in ICT use to support their social relations, and how it should become a social driver. The low widespread of experimental studies impacts on the literature evidences. The main limits are related to the recruitment and sampling. Social experiment practices, based on controlled randomized trial, should be widespread to better support the evidences in ageing issue.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Martins Pinto

<p><em>Some aspects of care contribute for decreased quality of life, health status and well-being among caregivers of older people. Care conditions may affect caregivers’ social participation increasing the odds of those negative outcomes. Then, to maintain a high level of social engagement configures a strategy to protect caregivers against burden and allow them to provide a better care. This study aimed at investigates what are the barriers to social participation in caregivers of older people. A systematic review of the literature was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Abstracts in Social Gerontology databases, using social participation, social involvement, social engagement, social activities, social relations, elderly, aged, aging, older people, seniors and caregivers as terms. Twenty-three articles fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The barriers to social participation were: characteristics and tasks related to care, caregiver’s mental health, low social support, sex, care receiver’s health, concurrent paid work, age, caregiver’s physical health, financial situation, education  and quality of life. Those barriers need to be approached by professionals and politicians in order to prevent social isolation and promote better quality of life among caregivers.</em></p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S583-S583
Author(s):  
Harry O Taylor ◽  
Nancy Morrow-Howell

Abstract Our study describes social connections among residents in two low-income senior housing communities and then examines if these connections influence their well-being. Operationalization of social connections included social network size, informal social support, social engagement, and loneliness. The Convoy Model of Social Relations guides our study in identifying objective and subjective social connections and examining how they affect well-being. Most residents maintained active connections: 53% saw five or more family members in the previous month, 52% felt they could rely on their family members and over 60% participated in group and/or Church activities; however, 70% of residents were moderately or severely lonely. Greater loneliness and less informal social support were associated with worse self-rated physical health, worse mental health, and lower life satisfaction. This residential setting offers promise for developing interventions to decrease loneliness and strengthen social connections to improve residents’ health and well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 609-610
Author(s):  
Norah Keating ◽  
Vera Roos

Abstract Loneliness is a key indicator of exclusion from social relations. Its prevalence among older people is of increasing global concern given the powerful impact of loneliness on health and wellbeing. To date, empirical and theoretical advancements in understanding loneliness have been focused on the micro contexts of networks of social relationships surrounding older people. Yet these relationships occur within broader socio-cultural, political and geographical settings that may help us better understand the experiences and manifestations of loneliness. In this presentation we draw on our research on loneliness on three continents. Findings from Canada show how ageing in a foreign land can truncate social connections. Research across Europe reveals differences in values and expectations about social connections. South African findings illustrate the long-term impact of dislocation resulting from political ideologies. We draw together these findings to create an ecological model of contexts that may lead to cumulative disadvantage in social relations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
Bridin Carroll ◽  
Kieran Walsh

Abstract Older people experiencing homelessness and older Irish Travellers (OTOH) are both over-represented in the cohort who use acute health services. Impending health care reform in Ireland will be based on primary care models, meaning home and community care will be, for the first time, underpinned by a regulatory framework. For these reasons, this study aims to gain a nuanced understanding of how OTOH, as marginalised older people, might be best served by new home care and community care models. Using a qualitative, voice-led approach, a life course and structural determinants lens is employed to probe the health conditions, experiences and expectations of OTOH, as well as their perceptions and values around the concept of ‘home’. The research processes and outcomes of one of five phases of research are presented in this paper: participant-led research. In this phase, five OTOH were trained and assisted to complete a short research project which fed into the goals of the wider study. Emergent findings suggest that social connections underpin health and well-being for OTOH, throughout the life course, and presently. This was also seen as a fundamental element for healthy and positive ageing. In addition, ‘home’ was defined with reference to the presence (or absence) of familial or other social connections. This study represents an important contribution to scholarship on old age social exclusion. It is entirely novel in its approach to focusing on OTOH health and wellbeing. The outputs of this study also have important implications for upcoming health reform policies in Ireland.


2020 ◽  
pp. 101269022097920
Author(s):  
Gareth Wiltshire ◽  
Nicola J Clarke ◽  
Cassandra Phoenix ◽  
Carl Bescoby

In the context of an increasing clinical need to better support self-managemt for people living with long-term health conditions an interest in the role of social networks has emerged. Given that sport participation often provides opportunities for social engagement, a space to explore Self-managemt at the intersection of medical sociology and the sociology of sport has opened up. This article presents findings from an exploratory qualitative study with organ transplant recipients who have participated in Transplant Games events – national and international multi-sport competitions for organ transplant recipients. Our findings illustrate how sport-based Social networks serve as resources for health-related knowledge, provide participants with additional affective support and help shape health expectations for the future. Although sport-based Social networks were seen as an overwhelmingly positive resource for our participants, it is plausible that harmful unintended consequences could arise for patients with existing Self-managemt issues. As such, it is recommended that people seeking to use sport as a tool to enhance illness Self-managemt should consider the various and powerful ways that Social networks can be impactful and anticipate the potential consequences accordingly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Turnbull ◽  
Patricia J. Lucas ◽  
Alastair D. Hay ◽  
Christie Cabral

Abstract Background Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a common chronic disease, with socially patterned incidence and severity. Digital self-care interventions have the potential to reduce health disparities, by providing personalised low-cost reusable resources that can increase access to health interventions. However, if under-served groups are unable to access or use digital technologies, Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) might make no difference, or worse, exacerbate health inequity. Study aims To gain insights into how and why people with T2D access and use DHTs and how experiences vary between individuals and social groups. Methods A purposive sample of people with experience of using a DHT to help them self-care for T2D were recruited through diabetes and community groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in person and over the phone. Data were analysed thematically. Results A diverse sample of 21 participants were interviewed. Health care practitioners were not viewed as a good source of information about DHTs that could support T2D. Instead participants relied on their digital skills and social networks to learn about what DHTs are available and helpful. The main barriers to accessing and using DHT described by the participants were availability of DHTs from the NHS, cost and technical proficiency. However, some participants described how they were able to draw on social resources such as their social networks and social status to overcome these barriers. Participants were motivated to use DHTs because they provided self-care support, a feeling of control over T2D, and personalised advice or feedback. The selection of technology was also guided by participants’ preferences and what they valued in relation to DHTs and self-care support, and these in turn were influenced by age and gender. Conclusion This research indicates that low levels of digital skills and high cost of digital health interventions can create barriers to the access and use of DHTs to support the self-care of T2D. However, social networks and social status can be leveraged to overcome some of these challenges. If digital interventions are to decrease rather than exacerbate health inequalities, these barriers and facilitators to access and use must be considered when DHTs are developed and implemented.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUZANNE MOFFATT ◽  
GRAHAM SCAMBLER

ABSTRACTIt is known that, in general, people of pensionable age have gained in income compared to other age groups in the British population over the last two decades, but that a substantial minority still experience relative poverty. This paper reports a small qualitative study into the effectiveness of a welfare-rights advice and acquisition service for men and women aged 60 or more years that was provided through a local primary health-care service. Additional financial and non-financial resources were obtained by accessing previously unclaimed state-welfare benefits. It was found that these significantly improved the participants' quality of life. Fourteen of the 25 participants received some type of financial award as a result of the service offered, with the median income gain being £57 (€84 or US $101) per week. The impact of additional resources was considerable and included: increased affordability of necessities and occasional expenses; increased capacity to cope with emergencies; and reduced stress related to financial worries. Knowledge of and access to welfare-rights services also appeared to have a positive effect. It is argued that a level of material resources above a basic level is necessary for social relations and for accessing services and civic activities, and can reduce social exclusion among older people.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document