Battling social isolation and loneliness from home

Among Canadians 50 years of age and older, 41% experience social isolation and 57% experience varying degrees of loneliness.

Humans are social beings. From friends to family and everyone in between, navigating the world requires us to interact and build relationships with others. However, as we age, we face life events and challenges that increase our risk of being socially isolated and feeling lonely. Living with chronic diseases, various disabilities, and limitations to mobility are a few of the many factors that contribute to these issues.

In Canada, 41% of those aged 50 years old and over—4 in 10 people—experience social isolation, while 57% report either feeling somewhat lonely or very lonely. Individuals who are homebound, meaning they don’t have the ability to leave their home on their own, are especially vulnerable, as they often lack access to community-based resources that aim to tackle social isolation and loneliness .

So, are home-based strategies an option for older adults? For answers, let’s delve into a recent systematic review that looked at their impact on social connectedness (through social support and engagement), loneliness, and even depressive symptoms.

What the research tells us

Four main home-based strategies, delivered face-to-face or virtually, were the focus of the review. These included psychological therapies (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy), befriending programs in which volunteers provided older adults with support and company (e.g., peer home visits), skill development activities (e.g., computer training), and support provision by health and social care professionals (e.g., meal deliveries). Home-based strategies were compared to usual/standard care or placebo strategies like generic phone calls.

Overall, the review found that home-based strategies may help to enhance social connectedness in older adults: social engagement increased by a large amount and social support by a moderate amount. Loneliness and depressive symptoms were also reduced by a small amount and very small amount, respectively. The current evidence base is of low-to-very low certainty, meaning future high-quality research is needed to solidify these results and provide a greater understanding of the long-term impacts, the relative effectiveness of individual home-based strategies, and which program characteristics (e.g., duration, delivery format, delivery personnel, etc.) are best.

In the meantime, if you’re feeling socially isolated and lonely, know that you don’t have to go it alone. Speak with your caregiver and/or healthcare team about whether home-based strategies are a possibility in your area, and which ones meet your specific needs.

The Article originally appeared at: https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org