Health care systems need to take urgent action to address social isolation and loneliness among U.S. seniors, experts say.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) points out that social isolation in this population is a major public health concern that contributes to heart disease, depression, and premature death.
The report authors note that the health care system remains an underused partner in preventing, identifying, and intervening in social isolation and loneliness among adults over age 50.
For seniors who are homebound, have no family, or do not belong to community or faith groups, a medical appointment or home health visit may be one of the few social interactions they have, the report notes.
Health care providers and systems may be “first responders” in recognizing lonely or socially isolated patients, committee chair Dan Blazer, MD, from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C., said during a press briefing.
As deadly as obesity, smoking
Committee member Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, noted that social isolation and loneliness are “distinctly different.”
Social isolation is defined as an objective lack of (or limited) social connections, while loneliness is a subjective perception of social isolation or the subjective feeling of being lonely.
Not all older adults are isolated or lonely, but they are more likely to face predisposing factors such as living alone and the loss of loved ones, she explained.
The issue may be compounded for LGBT, minority, and immigrant older adults, who may already face barriers to care, stigma, and discrimination. Social isolation and loneliness may also directly stem from chronic illness, hearing or vision loss, or mobility issues. In these cases, health care providers might be able to help prevent or reduce social isolation and loneliness by directly addressing the underlying health-related causes.
Holt-Lunstad told the briefing. The report offers a vision for how the health care system can identify people at risk of social isolation and loneliness, intervene, and engage other community partners.
It recommends that providers use validated tools to periodically assess patients who may be at risk for social isolation and loneliness and connect them to community resources for help.
The report also calls for greater education and training among health providers. Schools of health professions and training programs for direct care workers (eg, home health aides, nurse aides, and personal care aides) should incorporate social isolation and loneliness in their curricula, the report says.
It also offers recommendations for leveraging digital health and health technology, improving community partnerships, increasing funding for research, and creation of a national resource center under the Department of Health and Human Services.
Blazer said there remains “much to be learned” about what approaches to mitigating social isolation and loneliness work best in which populations.
The report, from the Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, was sponsored by the AARP Foundation.
This article first appeared on Medscape.com.