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Published on: September 30, 2020
Health and Health Service Use Among Assisted Living Residents With Chronic or Transient Loneliness: A Retrospective
Stephanie A Chamberlain1, Rachel D Savage2, Xueyi Chen3
1Faculty of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Summary
Chronic loneliness affects nearly 15% of assisted living residents and is linked to worse mental health and increased healthcare use. Identifying loneliness patterns can help target interventions for at-risk individuals.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Loneliness is a significant concern for assisted living (AL) residents, impacting their well-being and healthcare needs.
- Routine resident assessment data offers a valuable resource for understanding loneliness patterns in AL settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify distinct patterns of loneliness among assisted living residents.
- To analyze sociodemographic, health, and healthcare utilization differences across identified loneliness patterns.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study involving 9053 residents in publicly funded AL homes in Alberta, Canada.
- Classification of residents into not lonely, transiently lonely, or chronically lonely based on Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care data.
- Analysis of linked administrative health data for demographic characteristics, diagnoses, functional status, and healthcare utilization (ED visits, hospital admissions).
Main Results:
- 14.9% of residents experienced chronic loneliness, and 20.5% experienced transient loneliness.
- Chronically lonely residents exhibited higher rates of depression, pain, and psychiatric diagnoses compared to transiently lonely residents.
- Both transient and chronic loneliness were associated with increased emergency department use, with chronic loneliness showing a stronger association (IRR 1.21).
Conclusions:
- Chronic loneliness is prevalent in AL settings and associated with adverse health outcomes, including poorer mental health and increased healthcare utilization.
- Differentiating loneliness patterns using routine assessment data is crucial for identifying high-risk residents.
- Findings support the development of targeted interventions for AL residents experiencing loneliness to mitigate negative health consequences.
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