scholarly journals Interventions to Address Social Connectedness and Loneliness for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah M. O’Rourke ◽  
Laura Collins ◽  
Souraya Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Connectedness

Background Older adults are at risk for loneliness, and interventions to promote social connectedness are needed to directly address this problem. The nature of interventions aimed to affect the distinct, subjective concepts of loneliness/social connectedness has not been clearly described. The purpose of this review was to map the literature on interventions and strategies to affect loneliness/social connectedness for older adults.

scholarly journals Interventions to Address Social Connectedness and Loneliness for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah M. O’Rourke ◽  
Laura Collins ◽  
Souraya Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Connectedness

Background Older adults are at risk for loneliness, and interventions to promote social connectedness are needed to directly address this problem. The nature of interventions aimed to affect the distinct, subjective concepts of loneliness/social connectedness has not been clearly described. The purpose of this review was to map the literature on interventions and strategies to affect loneliness/social connectedness for older adults.

scholarly journals “It makes me feel not so alone”: Features of the Choose to Move physical activity intervention that reduce loneliness in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Franke ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Callista Ottoni ◽  
Heather A. McKay
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Baseline Factors ◽  
Meaningful Interaction

Abstract Background: Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and loneliness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) to describe factors within CTM components most likely to promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness.Methods:  CTM is a flexible, scalable, community-based health promoting physical activity intervention for older adults. Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n=458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults to understand how CTM facilitated or impeded their PA and social connectedness.Results: PA increased significantly from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased significantly from 3-6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained significantly above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased significantly from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Factors within CTM components that promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability.Conclusion: Health promoting interventions that focus on PA and social connectedness through group-based activities can effectively reduce social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Given the ‘epidemic of loneliness’ that plagues many countries currently, these kinds of interventions are timely and important. Research that further delineates mechanisms (e.g., sharing experiences vs. lectures), that modify the effect of an intervention on social connectedness outcomes for older adults engaged in community-based PA programs would be a welcome addition to the literature.

scholarly journals Understanding transitional care programs for older adults who experience delayed discharge: a scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine S. McGilton ◽  
Shirin Vellani ◽  
Alexandra Krassikova ◽  
Sheryl Robertson ◽  
Constance Irwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Transitional Care ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Delayed Discharge ◽  
Core Components

Abstract Background Many hospitalized older adults cannot be discharged because they lack the health and social support to meet their post-acute care needs. Transitional care programs (TCPs) are designed to provide short-term and low-intensity restorative care to these older adults experiencing or at risk for delayed discharge. However, little is known about the contextual factors (i.e., patient, staff and environmental characteristics) that may influence the implementation and outcomes of TCPs. This scoping review aims to answer: 1) What are socio-demographic and/or clinical characteristics of older patients served by TCPs?; 2) What are the core components provided by TCPs?; and 3) What patient, caregiver, and health system outcomes have been investigated and what changes in these outcomes have been reported for TCPs? Methods The six-step scoping review framework and PRISMA-ScR checklist were followed. Studies were included if they presented models of TCPs and evaluated them in community-dwelling older adults (65+) experiencing or at-risk for delayed discharge. The data synthesis was informed by a framework, consistent with Donabedian’s structure-process-outcome model. Results TCP patients were typically older women with multiple chronic conditions and some cognitive impairment, functionally dependent and living alone. The review identified five core components of TCPs: assessment; care planning and monitoring; treatment; discharge planning; and patient, family and staff education. The main outcomes examined were functional status and discharge destination. The results were discussed with a view to inform policy makers, clinicians and administrators designing and evaluating TCPs as a strategy for addressing delayed hospital discharges. Conclusion TCPs can influence outcomes for older adults, including returning home. TCPs should be designed to incorporate interdisciplinary care teams, proactively admit those at risk of delayed discharge, accommodate persons with cognitive impairment and involve care partners. Additional studies are required to investigate the contributions of TCPs within integrated health care systems.

scholarly journals “It makes me feel not so alone”: features of the Choose to Move physical activity intervention that reduce loneliness in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Franke ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Callista Ottoni ◽  
Heather A. McKay
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Baseline Factors ◽  
Meaningful Interaction

Abstract Background Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and loneliness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) to describe factors within CTM components most likely to promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness. Methods CTM is a flexible, scalable, community-based health promoting physical activity intervention for older adults. Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n = 458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults to understand how CTM facilitated or impeded their PA and social connectedness. Results PA increased significantly from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased significantly from 3 to 6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained significantly above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased significantly from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Factors within CTM components that promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability. Conclusion Health promoting interventions that focus on PA and social connectedness through group-based activities can effectively reduce social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Given the ‘epidemic of loneliness’ that plagues many countries currently, these kinds of interventions are timely and important. Research that further delineates mechanisms (e.g., sharing experiences vs. lectures), that modify the effect of an intervention on social connectedness outcomes for older adults engaged in community-based PA programs would be a welcome addition to the literature.

scholarly journals Choose to Move: A Health Promoting Physical Activity Intervention Can Also Enhance Social Connectedness

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Franke ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Callista Ottoni ◽  
Heather A. McKay
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Meaningful Interaction ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background: Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and social connectedness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) describe features of CTM that promote social connectedness.Methods:  Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n=458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults at baseline (n=43), mid-intervention (n=38) and post-intervention (n=19).Results: PA increased from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased from 3-6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Features of CTM that influence social connectedness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability.Conclusion: PA interventions that focus on social connectedness, through group-based activities can improve the health of older adults by addressing both loneliness and PA. Building social connectedness within a PA intervention for older adults may support long term changes in PA behaviours.

scholarly journals "It makes me feel not so alone”: Features of a physical activity intervention that reduce loneliness in older adults. A Choose to Move study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Franke ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Callista Ottoni ◽  
Heather A. McKay
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Baseline Factors ◽  
Meaningful Interaction

Abstract Background: Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and loneliness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) to describe factors within CTM components most likely to promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness.Methods:  Choose to Move is a flexible, scalable, community-based health promoting physical activity intervention for older adults. Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n=458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults at baseline (n=43), mid-intervention (n=38) and post-intervention (n=19).Results: PA increased significantly from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased significantly from 3-6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained significantly above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased significantly from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Factors within CTM components that promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability.Conclusion: Health promoting interventions that focus on PA and social connectedness through group-based activities can effectively reduce social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Given the ‘epidemic of loneliness’ that plagues many countries currently, these kinds of interventions are timely and important. Research that clearly delineates mechanisms that modify the effect of an intervention on social connectedness outcomes for older adults engaged in community-based PA programs would be a welcome addition to the literature.

scholarly journals Technologies and the Effects On Social Engagement In Long-Term Care Facilities During COVID-19: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 886-886
Author(s):  
Timothy Wood ◽  
Shannon Freeman ◽  
Alanna Koopmans
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sense of loneliness and social isolation felt by older adults in long-term care facilities has been exacerbated. Although there has been an increase in the number of digital solutions to mitigate social isolation during COVID-19, facilities in northern British Columbia do not have sufficient information regarding the technologies to support social connectedness. To support evidence-based policy decisions, a scoping review was conducted to identify existing virtual technology solutions, apps, and platforms that promote social connectedness among older adults residing in long-term care. A combination of keywords and subject headings were used to identify relevant literature within PubMed, CINAHL EBSCO, PsychINFO EBSCO, Embase OVIDSP, and Web of Science ISI databases. DistillerSR was used to screen and summarize the article selection process. Twenty-three articles were identified for full-text analysis. A variety of technologies are described which can be used to mitigate the impacts of social isolation felt by long-term care residents. However, many of these digital solutions require stable highspeed internet. This remains a challenge for facilities in northern areas as many have limited access to reliable internet. Metrics used to evaluate social engagement in the context of long-term care are also outlined. This research provides the preliminary groundwork necessary to better inform policy decisions about which technologies are available and, of these, which are effective at enhancing social connectedness for older adults in long-term care.

scholarly journals EXPLORING OLDER ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES IN CARE TRANSITIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S965-S965
Author(s):  
Flora Vieira Zamora ◽  
Michelle Silver ◽  
Whitney Berta ◽  
Michelle Nelson ◽  
Angela Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Care Transitions ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Levels Of Care ◽  
Care Integration ◽  
Care Systems

Abstract Older adults are Canada’s largest growing demographic. Later adulthood is frequently accompanied by increased comorbidities, resulting in more people living with chronic conditions for longer portions of their lives and requiring care across multiple settings. These individuals are also the most susceptible to challenges within health care systems, especially during vulnerable times such as care transitions, which can be challenging due to issues of care integration and coordination. A scoping review was conducted to explore the experiences of older adults transitioning through various levels of care. The main themes found included personal realizations, social connectedness, importance of navigating the system and recommendations for the future. During care transitions, older adults must carefully consider their personal circumstances and limitations and often accept a new baseline, thus, adapting their lives and activities to match possible limitations. Older adults indicate the need for strong social networks, accessible and available services, as well as effective communication, information, education and engagement during care transitions. Issues with care transitions can be exacerbated in smaller communities, where resources and services may be limited. As such, this scoping review is the foundation for an ongoing systematic review which aims to summarize what is known about care transitions for older adults living in small and rural communities. By better understanding the different interacting factors that might influence care transitions for older adults living in small communities, important and sustainable changes can be identified and implemented to ensure that care transitions for older adults are safe, positive and empowering.

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