Are Older People Living Alone Socially Isolated? A Qualitative Study of Their Experiences

Soulières, Maryse; Charpentier, Michèle

doi:10.1080/01634372.2021.2019163

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…However, patients being alone are not necessarily all living alone 35 , but living alone can reflect the degree of being alone to a certain extent. A qualitative study found that living alone means being alone for some elderly individuals 36 . Hence, there may be an overlap between the state of living alone and being alone, and this relationship may vary among different people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of hypoglycemia and associated factors in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross‑sectional study

Huang

Peng

Ding

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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The present cross-sectional survey was performed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with fear of hypoglycemia (FoH) in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Between July and December 2020, 494 patients with T2D were evaluated via structured questionnaires containing sociodemographic information, clinical information, and the Fear of Hypoglycemia-15 scale (FH-15). Patients were divided into the FoH and non-FoH groups according to the FH-15 score. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with FoH. Variables with P values < 0.1 in the univariate model were included in the multivariate model. In this study, the prevalence of FoH was 17.4% (86/494). 247 (50.0%) patients experienced hypoglycemic episodes in the past year, and 15 (3.0%) patients experienced severe hypoglycemic episodes in the past year. The mean age was 60.04 ± 11.71 years old, and female patients accounted for 39.9% of the sample. The item with the highest average FH-15 scores was: how often are you afraid of having hypoglycemia while alone? Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that living alone (OR 2.48; 95% CI 1.20–5.14; P = 0.015), number of hypoglycemic episodes in the past year (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03–1.10; P < 0.001), number of severe hypoglycemic episodes in the past year (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.20–5.69; P = 0.016), and duration of insulin use (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02–1.10; P = 0.006) were associated with FoH. The prevalence of FoH in hospitalized patients with T2D was high. FoH was associated with living alone, number of hypoglycemic episodes in the past year, number of severe hypoglycemic episodes in the past year, and duration of insulin use. These findings can contribute to early decision-making for preventing, identifying, and improving FoH in patients with T2D. In the future, interventions aimed at reducing FoH to improve the harmful effects of FoH are necessary, such as increasing diabetes-related knowledge and skills, increasing social support, reducing psychological fear, and minimizing risks for hypoglycemic episodes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of hypoglycemia and associated factors in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross‑sectional study

Huang

Peng

Ding

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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show abstract

“…49 For some, living alone is not seen as a problem as they are resilient and maintain satisfactory social relations with family and peers, while for others living alone is more problematic. 50 Individual variation in coping strategies for living alone through the pandemic could explain our small OR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Social Engagement and Distress Among Home Care Recipients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Cohort Study

McArthur

Turcotte

Sinn

et al. 2022

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association

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“…In addition, the elderly’s personalities also contributed to their social isolation ( 31 , 39 , 40 ): they either prefer being alone ( 41 ) or display a reluctance to seek help from family, friends, and neighbors, for fear that they would be viewed as a burden to others ( 36 ). This not only exists in Western societies but also in Chinese society where the elderly in social isolation displays a sense of self-reliance for fear that they would bother other people ( 27 , 30 ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the life experiences of elderly in social isolation from the social systems perspective: using Hong Kong as an illustrating example

Chan

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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AimThe elderly in social isolation often referred to as older people who experience social alienation with little social support from their family, peers, and community suffer from a poor quality of life and well-being. Since their life experiences are affected by a range of factors from different levels, this study seeks to investigate their current life situations and experiences from a social systems perspective.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted to enrich the understanding of their current life situations and experiences and to generate corresponding practice implications. In this study, there were 13 elderly participants in social isolation, which were users of a social service agency in Hong Kong. They took part in a semi-structured individual interview, sharing their life stories about their daily lives, social relationships, and sense of well-being. Qualitative results were analyzed based on these dimensions.ResultsResults showed that the elderly participants in social isolation had a low level of social support and participation in social activities. Their life experiences and situations were affected by multiple levels of factors that were interrelated.ConclusionThe results support the application of the social systems perspective in investigating the living conditions of the elderly in social isolation. The corresponding practice implications were also discussed.

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Are Older People Living Alone Socially Isolated? A Qualitative Study of Their Experiences

Cited by 6 publications

References 18 publications

Fear of hypoglycemia and associated factors in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross‑sectional study

Fear of hypoglycemia and associated factors in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross‑sectional study

Social Engagement and Distress Among Home Care Recipients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Understanding the life experiences of elderly in social isolation from the social systems perspective: using Hong Kong as an illustrating example

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