scholarly journals ADDRESSING SOCIAL ISOLATION OF OLDER ADULTS: THE COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE AND CONTRIBUTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S533-S533
Author(s):  
Bonnie Jeffery ◽  
Tom McIntosh ◽  
Nuelle Novik
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Human Service Professionals ◽  
Community Assets ◽  
Community Programming ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Transportation Service ◽  
Community Volunteers ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Church Support

Abstract This presentation will discuss the Reducing Isolation of Seniors Collective (RISC), a collaboration of three organizations that have implemented nine projects to address social isolation for rural and urban older adults in Saskatchewan, Canada. A survey was completed with the purpose of identifying community-level awareness, knowledge and perspectives on the extent of social isolation of older adults in their communities. Key variables of interest included contributors to social isolation of older adults, barriers to overcoming social isolation, and community efforts and promising assets for addressing social isolation of older adults in their own communities. To develop an understanding of the extent to which respondents are involved with older adults, the survey asked respondents to report how often they supported, observed, advocated for, and/or interacted with seniors. The 271 respondents identified their roles in the community as human service professionals, healthcare professionals, program facilitators, community leaders, organization members, and community volunteers. Three-quarters of respondents reported that they were involved with seniors at least daily or weekly. While 75.3% believed that social isolation of older adults was “somewhat” or “very” common, almost one-half (41.2%) of respondents believed there was not general awareness of social isolation of older adults by other members in their community. Over one-half of the respondents mentioned community programming (55.7%), friends and neighbours (63.1%), and volunteers (57.2%) as community assets that can reduce isolation of older adults. Respondents reported examples of promising interventions in their communities: church support, library programs, transportation service, visiting programs, advocacy groups, and information sessions.

scholarly journals SOCIAL ISOLATION AND OLDER ADULTS: UNDERSTANDING THEIR EXPERIENCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S368-S369
Author(s):  
Bonnie Jeffery ◽  
Tom McIntosh ◽  
Nuelle Novik
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Isolation Index ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Services And Supports ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract This presentation will focus on a unique undertaking where three provincial organizations in Saskatchewan, Canada implemented nine projects to address social isolation for rural and urban older adults across a geography that encompasses one-half of the province. A survey of older adults was conducted to assess their level of social isolation in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the experiences of social isolation among community dwelling older adults. Key variables of interest included: older adult access to services and supports, participation in activities, feelings of being valued by others, barriers to supports and services, and the overall isolation experienced by older adults. The responses from 1,719 urban and rural older adults indicate that 24.1% of respondents felt that they lack support, 17.2% feel less connected to family and friends, and 16.8% of respondents do not feel valued by their friends and family. Overall, almost one-quarter (23.9%) of the survey respondents score ‘high’ or ‘medium’ on a Social Isolation Index. One-third of respondents report they experience barriers to participation in activities outside the home. Several key categories of barriers were identified: health, personal, environmental, social, transportation and systemic. Respondents identified accommodation, services, practices, and activities as areas where their community could assist in participation of community activities outside of the home. Social isolation can have serious health consequences for older adults. The results of this survey highlight several key areas that older adults identify as important for reducing their feelings of isolation and enhancing their overall health and well-being.

Social Isolation and Loneliness: Differences between Older Rural and Urban Manitobans

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty Havens ◽  
Madelyn Hall ◽  
Gina Sylvestre ◽  
Tyler Jivan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Multiple Regression Models ◽  
Urban Adults ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper was to identify predictors of social isolation and loneliness for very old rural and urban adults. With data from the 1996 Aging in Manitoba Study (N = 1,868; age range 72–104), separate multiple regression models were constructed for rural and urban sub-samples, using the life space index (LSI) to measure social isolation as one outcome, and a loneliness index created by the authors from a combination of items to measure loneliness as a second outcome. Different factors were found to predict the outcomes for the two sub-samples. The models with isolation as the outcome produced five predictors for the rural sub-sample and three for the urban sub-sample. Only living alone was the same for both groups. The models with loneliness as the outcome produced five predictors for the rural sub-sample and two for the urban sub-sample, again with only one factor in common – four or more chronic illnesses. We conclude that health and social factors are important predictors of social isolation and loneliness, and sensitivity to these factors may improve the experience of older adults.

scholarly journals SOCIAL ISOLATION AMONG THE RECIPIENTS OF THE MINIMUM LIVELIHOOD GUARANTEE PROGRAM IN CHINA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S339-S339
Author(s):  
Yalu Zhang ◽  
Ada Mui
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Adverse Impact ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Program Enrollment ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract The eligibility for the minimum livelihood guarantee program in China is generally based on means testing, including a complicated income test and a household registration test. Even though the fiscal budget for this program steadily increased in the last two decades, the number of beneficiaries has decreased in both rural and urban areas since 2011. The recipients were stigmatized because their names are reported in the public domain and are known to their neighbors. Some beneficiaries tended to reduce social participation for fear of losing the eligibilities due to the stricter criteria or the stigma associated with receiving benefits. This paper examined the adverse impact of this welfare program on social isolation among Chinese middle-aged and older adults (n=8,447) using the panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and the propensity score weighted difference-in-differences method (PSM-DID). The results present disparities between urban and rural older adults—The older program recipients in urban areas significantly reduced social participation by 20.53%, while the adverse impact was not statistically significant among rural recipients. Compared to older adults (aged 60 and above), middle-aged adults (aged between 45 and 60) were not socially isolated due to program enrollment in both rural and urban areas at the 95% confidence level. This paper for the first time addresses the causal relationship between program enrollment and the adverse impact of social isolation. It also alerts policymakers and local program administrators to protect older program recipients from stigma, sense of shame, and reduced social connection.

scholarly journals How Does Aging in Place Help Us Understand Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 578-578
Author(s):  
Judith Robertson Phillips ◽  
Cassandra Ford ◽  
Thomas Prohaska
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Assisted Living Facilities ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Co-sponsored by the Disasters and Older Adults, Loneliness and Social Isolation, and Rural Aging Interest Groups, five presenters will highlight multiple circumstances regarding the intersection of social isolation or loneliness and the impact of COVID-19. Haverhals and colleagues interviewed veterans and their caregivers to identify the impact of changes in care delivery and social isolation as a result of the pandemic. Findings indicated differences in feelings of isolation among individuals living in their own home or assisted living facilities. Hua et al. examined whether individuals in long-term care communities were lonelier than individuals in the community during the pandemic using data from the NHATS COVID-19 module with higher levels of loneliness reported from individuals living in more restricted communities. Henning-Smith and colleagues explored differences in social activities among rural and urban participants in the COVID-19 Coping Study. Their study provides awareness into the ways rural and urban older adults stayed connected during the pandemic. Peterson et al. examined the effect of COVID-19 on care in Florida nursing homes and assisted living communities and on residents’ anxiety with higher levels of anxiety reported by residents in nursing homes. Using the Coping with Loneliness, Isolation and COVID19 Global Survey, O’Sullivan and colleagues utilized the lens of ‘place’ to examine factors associated with those experiencing loneliness and/or social isolation during the pandemic with insights from a public health perspective. Collectively, these presenters will provide evidence of the challenges associated with older adults’ social isolation and loneliness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social isolation and health in older adults

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Cacioppo ◽  
Louise C. Hawkley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation

Addressing Social Isolation To Improve the Health of Older Adults: A Rapid Review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Veazie ◽  
Jennifer Gilbert ◽  
Kara Winchell ◽  
Robin Paynter ◽  
Jeanne-Marie Guise
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Rapid Review

Addressing COVID-19 Worry and Social Isolation in Home-Based Primary Care

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Elizabeth Weiskittle ◽  
Michelle Mlinac ◽  
LICSW Nicole Downing
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Health Providers ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Home Based Primary Care ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Socially Isolated

Social distancing measures following the outbreak of COVID-19 have led to a rapid shift to virtual and telephone care. Social workers and mental health providers in VA home-based primary care (HBPC) teams face challenges providing psychosocial support to their homebound, medically complex, socially isolated patient population who are high risk for poor health outcomes related to COVID-19. We developed and disseminated an 8-week telephone or virtual group intervention for front-line HBPC social workers and mental health providers to use with socially isolated, medically complex older adults. The intervention draws on skills from evidence-based psychotherapies for older adults including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Problem-Solving Therapy. The manual was disseminated to VA HBPC clinicians and geriatrics providers across the United States in March 2020 for expeditious implementation. Eighteen HBPC teams and three VA Primary Care teams reported immediate delivery of a local virtual or telephone group using the manual. In this paper we describe the manual’s development and clinical recommendations for its application across geriatric care settings. Future evaluation will identify ways to meet longer-term social isolation and evolving mental health needs for this patient population as the pandemic continues.

scholarly journals ‘Too old to test?’: A life course approach to HIV-related risk and self-testing among midlife-older adults in Malawi

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Johnson ◽  
Moses Kumwenda ◽  
Jamilah Meghji ◽  
Augustine T. Choko ◽  
Mackwellings Phiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Sexual Risk ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Treatment As Prevention ◽  
Sexual Risk Taking ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Self Testing

Abstract Background Despite the aging HIV epidemic, increasing age can be associated with hesitancy to test. Addressing this gap is a critical policy concern and highlights the urgent need to identify the underlying factors, to improve knowledge of HIV-related risks as well as uptake of HIV testing and prevention services, in midlife-older adults. Methods We conducted five focus group discussions and 12 in-depth interviews between April 2013 and November 2016 among rural and urban Malawian midlife-older (≥30 years) men and women. Using a life-course theoretical framework we explored how age is enacted socially and its implications on HIV testing and sexual risk behaviours. We also explore the potential for HIV self-testing (HIVST) to be part of a broader strategy for engaging midlife-older adults in HIV testing, prevention and care. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and variations. Results Midlife-older adults (30–74 years of age) associated their age with respectability and identified HIV as “a disease of youth” that would not affect them, with age protecting them against infidelity and sexual risk-taking. HIV testing was felt to be stigmatizing, challenging age norms, threatening social status, and implying “lack of wisdom”. These norms drove self-testing preferences at home or other locations deemed age and gender appropriate. Awareness of the potential for long-standing undiagnosed HIV to be carried forward from past relationships was minimal, as was understanding of treatment-as-prevention. These norms led to HIV testing being perceived as a threat to status by older adults, contributing to low levels of recent HIV testing compared to younger adults. Conclusions Characteristics associated with age-gender norms and social position encourage self-testing but drive poor HIV-risk perception and unacceptability of conventional HIV testing in midlife-older adults. There is an urgent need to provide targeted messages and services more appropriate to midlife-older adults in sub-Saharan Africa. HIVST which has often been highlighted as a tool for reaching young people, may be a valuable tool for engaging midlife-older age groups who may not otherwise test.

scholarly journals Social isolation, rather than loneliness, is associated with cognitive decline in older adults: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bin Yu ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Yongjie Chen ◽  
Xiaohua Jia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Status ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Confounding Variables

Abstract Background Social isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Results Loneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables. Conclusions Social isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.

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