Alleviating Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older People

Cattan, Mima; Newell, Caroline; Bond, John; White, Martin

doi:10.1080/14623730.2003.9721909

Cited by 64 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Although some older people contacted the services directly, it is possible that these were the 'active lonely' (Cattan et al, 2003). Therefore, 'other' routes are required, which are accessible to those most in need of a telephone support service.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The delivery and management of telephone befriending services – whose needs are being met?

Kime

Cattan

Bagnall

2012

Quality Ageing Older Adults

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PurposeThis article aims to describe an evaluation of a national pilot programme of telephone support services for older people in England and Scotland and is focussed on organisational outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe “Call in Time Programme” was funded by the national charity Help the Aged and comprised eight telephone support projects in different locations, managed by different voluntary or charitable organisations. Researchers used semi‐structured interviews and a Delphi questionnaire to obtain the views of project coordinators.FindingsAlthough the projects were found to provide a much needed service for socially isolated and lonely older people, the study identified four key areas of concern: operational structure; promotion and publicity; recruitment of volunteers; referral processes. Project coordinators wanted more autonomy and the flexibility to respond to older people's needs. Projects were limited by restrictions imposed by funding bodies or services themselves.Practical implicationsProject coordinators recommended more local control over project finances, clear referral pathways linking voluntary and statutory bodies, long‐term funding involving project coordinators and older people in planning and delivery, more training for project coordinators, clear record keeping and a coordinated approach to promotion and publicity.Originality/valueWhile other studies have highlighted the importance of user involvement, this study provides valuable evidence demonstrating that those responsible for managing and delivering telephone support services, and service users, are instrumental in decision making and planning processes. As organisations are streamlined in efforts to increase efficiency and effectiveness, there is a need for a wider cultural change in the way supportive programmes are viewed and funded.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The delivery and management of telephone befriending services – whose needs are being met?

Kime

Cattan

Bagnall

2012

Quality Ageing Older Adults

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“…Traditional communication technologies, such as the telephone, have played an important role in mitigating social isolation and supporting group gatherings (Cattan et al, 2005). Recently telephones have also been combined with the internet to provide a volunteer online shopping service for the elderly (Blythe & Monk, 2005).…”

Section: Technology Design For Older Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

Social isolation of older people

Pedell

Vetere

Kulik

et al. 2010

Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group of Australia on Computer-Human Inte

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This paper explores the role of domestic technologies for addressing social isolation of older people. Despite the increasing use of information and communication technologies, social isolation remains an issue amongst older people. Assistive technologies address important health needs, but there is a lack of social technologies that adequately deal with social isolation. This paper contributes to knowledge about the everyday life of older people for the purpose of designing appropriate social technology. We present an overview of the findings of a three-stage study-an expert survey, a field study and a design workshop-and describe a set of needs to inform the design of technology for ameliorating the social isolation of older people.

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“…This suggests that there is still work to be done in engaging individuals that are ‘harder to reach’ (Cattan et al . ). However, one of the benefits of having ample volunteers was increased flexibility on the day, for example some volunteers came for the first half of the event, while others came for the second half of the event.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Loneliness and social isolation are predominantly associated with older adults, and often services that aim to alleviate these problems view older people as a homogenous group failing to engage individuals that are ‘harder to reach’ (Cattan et al . ). While some studies suggest that older people value interventions that cater to common interests and social backgrounds (Cattan et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…While some studies suggest that older people value interventions that cater to common interests and social backgrounds (Cattan et al . ), others suggest that having a range of different friendships may protect against loneliness (Stevens & van Tilburg , Shankar et al . ) and help to manage transitions such as later life widowhood (Collins ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

‘It pushed me back into the human race’: evaluative findings from a community Christmas event

Collins

Kenney

Hesk

2016

Health Soc Care Community

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Many older people in Britain spend Christmas day alone. The Christmas period may be especially difficult for older people who are socially isolated, living with dementia or who have physical impairments, and may feel particularly marginalised at this time of year. This paper draws on evaluative research findings from a community Christmas event held in December 2014 at the University of Salford for older people and their carers who would be on their own on Christmas day. A multi‐method approach was employed, seven guests took part in semi‐structured interviews to explore their experiences and perceptions of the event, seven staff and student volunteers participated in a group interview to explore and discuss their participation in the event. Data collection took place during April and May 2015. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified from the interviews: ‘reasons for participants attending the event’, ‘a different Christmas day: the impact on guests and volunteers’, and ‘learning, planning and moving forwards’. The findings illustrate that a range of people participated in the Christmas day event for a variety of reasons. The event itself had a positive impact, including the shared experience of social belonging, for all involved. There are tangible longer term benefits as a result of the event, such as ongoing contact between participants and the development of supportive networks in the local community.

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Alleviating Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older People

Cited by 64 publications

References 20 publications

The delivery and management of telephone befriending services – whose needs are being met?

The delivery and management of telephone befriending services – whose needs are being met?

Social isolation of older people

‘It pushed me back into the human race’: evaluative findings from a community Christmas event

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