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Practice

Loneliness in older adults

Nathan M. Stall, Rachel D. Savage and Paula A. Rochon
CMAJ April 29, 2019 191 (17) E476; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.181655
Nathan M. Stall
Division of Geriatric Medicine (Stall, Rochon), Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; Women’s College Research Institute (Stall, Savage, Rochon), Women’s College Hospital; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Stall, Rochon), University of Toronto; ICES (Savage), Toronto, Ont.
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Rachel D. Savage
Division of Geriatric Medicine (Stall, Rochon), Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; Women’s College Research Institute (Stall, Savage, Rochon), Women’s College Hospital; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Stall, Rochon), University of Toronto; ICES (Savage), Toronto, Ont.
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Paula A. Rochon
Division of Geriatric Medicine (Stall, Rochon), Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; Women’s College Research Institute (Stall, Savage, Rochon), Women’s College Hospital; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Stall, Rochon), University of Toronto; ICES (Savage), Toronto, Ont.
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Loneliness is an emotional state of perceived social isolation

Loneliness is not a classified disease or mental disorder and is separable from other dysphoric states such as anxiety and depression.1 Loneliness affects 3 major dimensions: affect (feelings of desperation, boredom and self-deprecation), cognition (negative attitudes toward self and others, and a sense of hopelessness and futility) and behaviour (self-absorbed, socially ineffective and passive).2

Loneliness is common among older adults and linked to declines in health

Many (> 40%) older adults, particularly women, experience loneliness. 3,4 Compelling evidence shows that loneliness may accelerate physiologic aging. 1 It is associated with elevated blood pressure and atherosclerosis, and increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular mortality.1 Loneliness is also associated with functional impairment, depression and dementia.1,3

Loneliness is as harmful as other well-established risk factors for mortality

A 2015 meta-analysis of 70 studies involving nearly 3.5 million individuals found that loneliness increased all-cause mortality by 26%.5 In older adults, loneliness is associated with a 45% increased risk of death.3 The effect of loneliness is comparable to other known risk factors for mortality, including obesity and smoking.5

Loneliness is an important contributor to use of health care

Loneliness significantly predicts utilization of health care independent of health and function, suggesting that older adults who are lonely seek social contact through health care visits.4 More than 75% of general practitioners in the United Kingdom reported seeing between 1 and 5 patients a day who visited because of loneliness.6

Social prescribing is an emerging intervention for loneliness

The Three-Item Loneliness Scale is a valid measurement tool that can be used to assess loneliness (Box 1). As loneliness cannot be effectively treated with medications or acute care, health care practitioners may consider social prescribing to connect lonely older adults with sources of support in the community.6 Community organizations facilitate most social prescribing schemes, which include volunteering, group learning and befriending activities. The Social Prescribing Network (www.socialprescribingnetwork.com) is a useful resource.

Box 1:

The Three-Item Loneliness Scale7

Three response categories: “hardly ever” (score = 1), “some of the time” (score = 2) and “often” (score = 3)

  • How often do you feel that you lack companionship?

  • How often do you feel left out?

  • How often do you feel isolated from others?

The score is the sum of all items (range 3–9). Respondents with scores 6–9 are considered “lonely.”

Footnotes

  • CMAJ Podcasts: author interview at https://soundcloud.com/cmajpodcasts/181655-five

  • Competing interests: None declared.

  • This article has been peer reviewed.

  • Disclaimer: Nathan Stall is an associate editor for CMAJ and was not involved in the editorial decision-making process for this article.

References

  1. ↵
    1. Cacioppo S,
    2. Grippo AJ,
    3. London S,
    4. et al
    . Loneliness: clinical import and interventions. Perspect Psychol Sci 2015;10:238–49.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  2. ↵
    1. Heinrich LM,
    2. Gullone E
    . The clinical significance of loneliness: a literature review. Clin Psychol Rev 2006;26:695–718.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  3. ↵
    1. Perissinotto CM,
    2. Stijacic Cenzer I,
    3. Covinsky KE
    . Loneliness in older persons: a predictor of functional decline and death. Arch Intern Med 2012;172:1078–83.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  4. ↵
    1. Gerst-Emerson K,
    2. Jayawardhana J
    . Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults. Am J Public Health 2015;105:1013–9.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  5. ↵
    1. Holt-Lunstad J,
    2. Smith TB,
    3. Baker M,
    4. et al
    . Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci 2015;10:227–37.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  6. ↵
    Loneliness. London (UK): Royal College of General Practitioners; 2018. Available: www.rcgp.org.uk/policy/rcgp-policy-areas/loneliness.aspx (accessed 2018 Dec. 18).
  7. ↵
    1. Hughes ME,
    2. Waite LJ,
    3. Hawkley LC,
    4. et al
    . A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: results from two population-based studies. Res Aging 2004;26:655–72.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
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Canadian Medical Association Journal: 191 (17)
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Vol. 191, Issue 17
29 Apr 2019
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Loneliness in older adults
Nathan M. Stall, Rachel D. Savage, Paula A. Rochon
CMAJ Apr 2019, 191 (17) E476; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.181655

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Nathan M. Stall, Rachel D. Savage, Paula A. Rochon
CMAJ Apr 2019, 191 (17) E476; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.181655
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