Reducing social isolation and promoting well being in older people

Abstract

Purpose -This paper reports on a research study which explored a network of "Friendship Clubs" in two counties in the South of England. The charity provides the opportunity (through transport and venue provision) for older people to meet locally every week and enjoy activities. These activities are negotiated with the members of each individual club and facilitated by volunteers some examples are card games, outings, information giving sessions, physical exercise, guest speakers and entertainers, as well as informal conversation over a tea and cake.Methodology -This exploratory study used three qualitative data collection methods, participatory observation, individual interviews and focus groups along with collecting biographical information for club members.Findings -The findings from this study fall within three key concepts in relation to the participants perceived benefits from attending the friendship clubs: increased wellbeing, improvements in general health and improvements in social relationships. Originality/value -This study highlights that Friendship Clubs can help tackle the challenge and subsequent effects of social isolation for the older age 2 group. The quality of the experience the clubs provide is however essential to their success as they need to focus on valuing, supporting, and educating. Research limitations/implications -

Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older people: an integrative review

“…Three key common characteristics of effective interventions were identified and are presented in Box . Adaptability of an intervention to a local context was seen as key for ensuring its success, particularly where interventions have been implemented by national organisations (Cattan & Ingold , Hemingway & Jack , Kime et al . , Wylie ).…”

“…, Pettigrew & Roberts , Wylie , Bartlett et al . , Hemingway & Jack ). Finally, activities or interventions which supported productive engagement seemed to be more successful in alleviating social isolation than those involving passive activities or those with no explicit goal or purpose (Howat et al .…”

“…Social facilitation interventions generally presumed a degree of reciprocity, and strived to provide mutual benefit to all participants involved. Many of these interventions involved group-based activities, for example charity-funded friendship clubs (Hemingway & Jack 2013), shared interest topic groups (Cohen-Mansfield et al 2007), day care centres (Iecovich & Biderman 2012) and friendship enrichment programmes , Alaviani et al 2015. One intervention focused on the specific role of Irish cultural identity in social facilitation (Cant & Taket 2005).…”

“…Project co-ordinators from a national befriending service commented that more local control was need to respond to the community and to enhance the service (Kime et al 2012). Local control conducive to meaningful friendship, especially when attendees control the activities and the activities are relevant to their interests (Hemingway & Jack 2013).…”

Persahabatan: Makna Dan Kontribusinya Bagi Kebahagiaan Dan Kesehatan Lansia

“…Seperti yang diungkapkan oleh partisipan bahwa persahabatan dengan generasi selanjutnya mampu menghadirkan penghargaan dan meningkatkan self-esteem. Persahabatan adalah sumber social support bagi lansia, sahabat adalah sumber informasi dan dukungan dalam penyelesaian masalah yang dihadapi (Gray, 2009;Hemingway & Jack, 2013). Di samping itu, sesuai dengan uraian Blieszner (2014), kecenderung lansia untuk mempertahankan persahabatan yang bermanfaat secara tidak langsung membuat lansia memilih dalam menentukan siapa yang dinilai sebagai sahabat atau teman.…”