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Changes in social relations in old age. Are they influenced by functional ability?
Kirsten Avlund1, Pernille Due, Bjorn E Holstein
1Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. K.Avlund@socmed.ku.dk
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
|December 12, 2002
Summary
Older adults experience significant social relationship changes. Functional ability, particularly tiredness and need for help with daily activities, influences social contact diversity in later life.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- Social relations are crucial for well-being in older adults.
- Understanding changes in social networks and their determinants is vital for aging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe changes in social relations among individuals aged 75 to 80.
- To analyze the influence of functional ability at age 75 on these social relation changes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the NORA follow-up study (Finland, Sweden, Denmark).
- Included 743 participants who completed social relations and functional ability assessments.
- Measured social relations via contact frequency, diversity, telephone use, and social participation.
- Assessed functional ability through tiredness and need for help in Physical Activities of Daily Living (PADL).
Main Results:
- Significant, varied changes in social relations were observed between ages 75 and 80.
- Women experiencing tiredness showed sustained low contact with children and low social diversity.
- Both men and women needing help with Physical Activities of Daily Living (PADL) exhibited sustained low diversity in social relations.
Conclusions:
- Functional ability, especially related to daily activities, significantly impacts the diversity of social relations in older age.
- Interventions supporting functional ability may help maintain social connectedness in the elderly.