Community‐based responses to loneliness in older people: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

In many countries across the world, older people are one of the groups most vulnerable to loneliness. Community-based responses are well placed to support and enhance pre-existing coping strategies in older people. However, the evidence base of these responses remain scattered and obscured, particularly in relation to their design and reasons behind their success. In this systematic review, we focus on qualitative studies on community-based responses to loneliness among older people to learn how these responses work in practice with in-depth details. At the end of a systematic searching and screening process, 17 studies conducted in five countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Spain and the UK) published in English were selected and reviewed initially in October 2020 and then updated at the end of August 2021. Three themes were identified as being most valuable to addressing loneliness in a specific community, namely, autonomy, new social connections, and belonging. These interventions were also employed according to three primary considerations: what the community lacked, how that community experienced loneliness, or a combination of both. Several implications for policymakers and future research emerged, urging future interventions to take a more contextual approach that encompasses communitylevel considerations before establishing a user-led and tailored setting that facilitates social engagement.

Managing Perceived Loneliness and Social-Isolation Levels for Older Adults: A Survey with Focus on Wearables-Based Solutions

“…Reducing loneliness and social isolation of older people has also been a target of numerous non-technical intervention studies, which shows the weight given to this topic by several reviews [ 36 , 175 , 176 , 177 ]. Such non-technology-based interventions represent a wide variety of programs of psychological therapies and social support (discussions, counseling, therapy, educational programs, and training skills), social activities, physical activities (fitness programs, recreational activities), arts-based programs, horticultural activities, and inter-generational programs [ 36 , 175 , 176 , 177 ]. The strongest effect in decreasing loneliness and social isolation of older people, according to [ 177 ], has art-based community programs, horticultural interventions, and new technology-based interventions.…”

“…The recent review in [ 175 ] emphasized the meaning of community-level interventions and the positive effect of having the interventions based on existing social structures and services to give them continuity. The authors in [ 175 ] stated that, to decrease the loneliness and social isolation of older people, the intervention programs need to support the autonomy of older people while also supporting the creation of new social contacts and fostering a sense of belonging to the community. While the study in [ 175 ] referred to non-technology-based interventions, their conclusions are likely to also be valid in the context of technology-based interventions.…”

“…The authors in [175] stated that, to decrease the loneliness and social isolation of older people, the intervention programs need to support the autonomy of older people while also supporting the creation of new social contacts and fostering a sense of belonging to the community. While the study in [175] referred to non-technology-based interventions, their conclusions are likely to also be valid in the context of technology-based interventions.…”

Voluntary male mentors' lived experience of social engagement with men in their community

“…Men are volunteering to organise and actively engage with each other, such as going for a group walk with the motto of ‘no man walks alone’ (TheManWalk, 2022 ), or attending a regular monthly dinner commitment to meet with others within an accepting framework (Men'sTable, 2022 ), or participating in a one‐to‐one mentoring dyad for a minimum of 6 months (MentoringMen, 2022 ; Mentors4Men, 2022 ). These programs aim to offer men autonomy, new social connections and a sense of belonging, which are often favoured by men in forming new relationships (Cattan et al, 2005 ; Holt‐Lunstad, 2021 ; Noone & Yang, 2021 ).…”

Editorial: The impact of social isolation and loneliness on mental health and wellbeing

“…Landry et al , Lv et al , and Chiao et al studied young adults. Even though loneliness is also an important issue for older people ( 8 ), none of the studies in this Research Topic examined loneliness in older adult samples. Three studies targeted specific populations: Goddard et al recruited people with mobility disabilities; Peng et al studied consumers and their purchasing intentions; and Mansour et al recruited men for their study.…”