scholarly journals Loneliness and social isolation of older adults: Why it is important to examine these social aspects together

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 925-939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy E. G. Newall ◽  
Verena H. Menec
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Socially Isolated

Research shows that social isolation and loneliness are important health issues for older adults. This message is increasingly being recognized by policy makers and service providers. Although the concepts of loneliness and social isolation are often discussed and compared with one another, they are largely examined separately, even if they are both included in the same study. In the present article, we argue for bringing together these two related concepts. For example, focusing only on social isolation overlooks differences between those older adults who are socially isolated and lonely versus socially isolated but not lonely. Consequently, we discuss four groups of older adults: isolated, but not lonely; lonely in a crowd; isolated and lonely; and not isolated or lonely. We argue that considering loneliness and social isolation together will aid in the understanding of the social situation of older adults and can provide new directions for research and intervention programs for older adults.

scholarly journals Understanding Social Network and Support for Older Immigrants in Ontario, Canada: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepali Guruge ◽  
Souraya Sidani ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Bharati Sethi ◽  
Denise Spitzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Older Immigrants ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Social

BACKGROUND Older adults are the fastest growing age group worldwide and in Canada. Immigrants represent a significant proportion of older Canadians. Social isolation is common among older adults and has many negative consequences, including limited community and civic participation, increased income insecurity, and increased risk of elder abuse. Additional factors such as the social, cultural, and economic changes that accompany migration, language differences, racism, and ageism heighten older immigrants’ vulnerability to social isolation. OBJECTIVE This mixed-methods sequential (qualitative-quantitative) study seeks to clarify older immigrants’ social needs, networks, and support and how these shape their capacity, resilience, and independence in aging well in Ontario. METHODS Theoretically, our research is informed by an intersectionality perspective and an ecological model, allowing us to critically examine the complexity surrounding multiple dimensions of social identity (eg, gender and immigration) and how these interrelate at the micro (individual and family), meso (community), and macro (societal) levels in diverse geographical settings. Methodologically, the project is guided by a collaborative, community-based, mixed-methods approach to engaging a range of stakeholders in Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, and London in generating knowledge. The 4 settings were strategically chosen for their diversity in the level of urbanization, size of community, and the number of immigrants and immigrant-serving organizations. Interviews will be conducted in Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish with older women, older men, family members, community leaders, and service providers. The study protocol has received ethics approval from the 4 participating universities. RESULTS Quantitative and qualitative data collection is ongoing. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada. CONCLUSIONS Comparative analyses of qualitative and quantitative data within and across sites will provide insights about common and unique factors that contribute to the well-being of older immigrants in different regions of Ontario. Given the comprehensive approach to incorporating local knowledge and expert contributions from multilevel stakeholders, the empirical and theoretical findings will be highly relevant to our community partners, help facilitate practice change, and improve the well-being of older men and women in immigrant communities. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR DERR1-10.2196/12616

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.

Rehabilitation and Remediation of Internationally Adopted Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Gindis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Remedial Education ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
International Adoptees ◽  
The Social ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children

This book presents specific methods for the physical rehabilitation, mental health restoration, and academic remediation of post-institutionalized international adoptees. The focus of the book is on the neurological, psychological, and educational consequences of complex childhood trauma in the context of a fundamental change in the social situation of development of former orphanage residents. A discussion of after-adoption traumatic experiences includes a critique of certain “conventional” approaches to the treatment of mental health issues and different disabilities in international adoptees. Using his 30-year background in research and clinical practice, the author expertly describes and analyses a range of methodologies in order to provide an integrated and practical system of “scaffolding” and “compensation” for the successful rehabilitation and remediation of children with ongoing traumatic experiences. This is essential reading for researchers and practicing clinicians concerned with childhood trauma, remedial education, and issues of international adoption.

scholarly journals Universalists or Utilitarianists? The Social Representation of COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10434
Author(s):  
Luiz Antonio Joia ◽  
Flavia Michelotto
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Representation Theory

A fierce debate arose in Brazil on how to manage and mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—a debate derived from a dissonant perception by society about the actual significance of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brazilian population has divided into two contrasting philosophical approaches: the universalism—understanding life as an asset of infinite value and, therefore, more important than the country’s economic preservation—and the utilitarianism—where the focus is on the mitigation of the COVID 19 pandemic-enabled economic crisis, due to its potential devastating effect on people’s lives, thereby leaving health issues in the background. The main cause for these different sensemakings is associated with the lack of a monosemic definition for the “COVID-19 pandemic” construct. Thus, the objective of this article is to investigate the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil through the Social Representation Theory operationalized by the word’s evocation technique. The results show that Brazilian society privileged prophylaxis and health, via social isolation, to the detriment of the country’s economic preservation. In addition, trends emphasized by experts, such as a post-pandemic “new-normal” and the digital transformation of society, played a peripheral role in the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Sexy till I die: What applied theatre can offer in approaches to sexual health

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-375
Author(s):  
Leah Tidey
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
The Social ◽  
Applied Theatre ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract For older adults in Canada, too often shame and silence describe their experiences of sexual health. With more citizens over the age of 65 than ever before and increasing rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in older adults, we are facing a serious issue. Applied theatre offers an innovative approach to deconstructing social stigma in sexuality across the life course, whereby new understandings and perceptions may emerge for people of all ages. The usefulness, gaps and application of three different approaches to sexual health issues are examined to highlight innovations in addressing sexual health and critique ageist, sexist and heteronormative assumptions through a feminist, critical pedagogy lens. The analysis culminates in a proposed outline for an intergenerational, community-based theatre project to address the social stigma of sexuality across the life course entitled You're Doing What?! At Your Age?!

Neighborhood Deterioration and Social Isolation in Later Life

1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Krause
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Socially Isolated

The purpose of this study is to test a conceptual model that attempts to show how selected neighborhood characteristics are related to social isolation in later life. This model specifies that older adults with low levels of educational attainment are more likely to experience financial problems and that elderly people who are confronted by financial difficulties are more likely to reside in dilapidated neighborhoods. The model further predicts that deteriorated neighborhoods in turn tend to promote distrust of others and older adults who are more distrustful of others tend to be more socially isolated. Based on data provided by a nationwide survey of elderly people, subsequent analyses revealed strong support for the theoretical sequence described above.

scholarly journals Więzi społeczne a zjawisko samotności i osamotnienia

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldona Żurek
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Analytical Category

In modern societies, the number of people who are socially isolated and experience constant feeling of loneliness is increasing. Main causes of this social isolation are associated with both inherent features of an individual and features of structures such as family and local community. An isolated person is a person who has limited number of significant others. Nevertheless, loneliness may also occur when a person is a part of a lot of social relations. The feeling of loneliness is therefore an individually experienced discomfort resulting from a subjective evaluation of the desired and the existing network of social relations. Both phenomena are threats to the welfare of individuals and at the same time are a challenge for organizations which are dealing with social policy. An analytical category which provides the diagnosis of loneliness and isolation is the social bond. The assessment of deficits associated with social bonds and can be performed measuring following criteria: quantity, quality and potency of the social bond.

scholarly journals Social isolation impacts late-life socio-cognitive decline in APP/PS1 mice

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Rens ◽  
Rudi D’Hooge ◽  
Ann Van der Jeugd
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socially Isolated

AbstractIn this study the effects of social isolation (SI) were investigated in APP/PS1 mice. It was found that SI during adolescence has an impact on anxiogenic behaviour, such that isolated animals tend to explore a threatening environment less than non-isolated animals as assessed with the EPM test, and that this holds for both AD and non-AD mice. While no evidence was found for any differences in short-term memory as assessed by the Y-maze, long-term memory seemed to be affected in a context-dependent manner. Object memory as assessed with the NOR test was affected in APP/PS1 mice compared to WT mice, but this deficit was not induced or influenced by SI. When it comes to social recognition memory however, we found that SI exacerbated the social memory deficit in AD mice, and even induced a deficit in WTs. Associative fear memory as assessed with the PA test suggested that WTs perform better when group housed, and APP/PS1 mice better when socially isolated. The link between isolation and AD, or cognition in general, may be more complex than initially thought. The effect of isolation may not be the same for AD versus non-AD subjects.

scholarly journals Social Isolation and Hospitalization Risk Factors Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 95-95
Author(s):  
J Mary Louise Pomeroy ◽  
Gilbert Gimm
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract PURPOSE: This study examines psychosocial risk factors associated with hospitalization among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. METHODS: Using two waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study from 2011 and 2015, we conducted descriptive and multivariate analyses of individual-level data from a nationally representative sample of 8,003 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. Associations between hospitalization and risk factors including social isolation, depression, and anxiety were assessed. Covariates included gender, race/ethnicity, age, region, insurance type, falls, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Overall, about 20.9% of older adults reported a hospitalization within the past year and 22.2% were socially isolated. The odds of hospitalization were higher for socially isolated adults (OR 1.17; p = .02), for depressed adults (OR 1.25; p = .01), and for individuals with anxiety (OR 1.25; p = .02). Individuals living in the Western region had lower odds of hospitalization (OR 0.71; p = .001), whereas men (OR 1.13; p = .03), those requiring assistance with activities of daily living (OR 1.48; p < .001), and those having one (OR 1.41; p = .03) or more (OR 3.05; p < .001) chronic health conditions had higher odds of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Social isolation, depression, and anxiety represent significant psychosocial risk factors for hospitalization among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Efforts to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes for older adults should explore ways to strengthen social integration and improve mental health.

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