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Preventing social isolation in older people
Natalie Cotterell1, Tine Buffel1, Christopher Phillipson1
1Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing, School of Social Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
Maturitas
|June 16, 2018
Summary
Preventing social isolation in older adults requires a shift towards proactive, life-course strategies. This review identifies key risk factors and diverse interventions to support healthy ageing and reduce isolation.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Social isolation in older adults is a significant public health concern with well-documented negative outcomes.
- Despite the known consequences, evidence-based strategies for preventing social isolation in later life are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a literature review on the identification, assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies for social isolation in older adults.
- To explore risk factors across individual, relationship, community, and societal levels.
- To examine various intervention approaches and their associated opportunities and constraints.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review.
- Ecological framework application for risk factor identification.
- Categorization of interventions into one-to-one, group, service provision, technology-based, neighbourhood, and structural.
Main Results:
- Identified risk factors for social isolation at multiple ecological levels.
- Reviewed a broad spectrum of interventions, including technological and community-based approaches.
- Highlighted challenges and facilitators for implementing prevention and intervention strategies.
Conclusions:
- Emphasized the need for a paradigm shift from 'cure' to 'prevention' of social isolation throughout the lifespan.
- Stressed the importance of recognizing and addressing the diversity within the aging population.
- Called for future research to focus on culturally sensitive, life-course approaches to combatting social isolation.
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