Health amp Wellbeing Board Stakeholder Event June 2014 Isolation amp Loneliness The terms isolation and loneliness are often used interchangeably but they refer to two distinct concepts ID: 140179
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Slide1
Social Isolation: What is the problem and what is the evidence?
Health & Wellbeing Board Stakeholder Event
June 2014Slide2
Isolation & Loneliness
The terms ‘isolation’ and loneliness are often used interchangeably, but they refer to two distinct concepts.
Isolation
Separation from social or familial contact, community involvement or access to services
Loneliness
An individual’s personal, subjective sense of lacking these things to the extent that they are wanted or neededSlide3
Risk Factors
Factors related to personal circumstances
E.g. people who are widowed or have no children
Life events
E.g. bereavement or having to move into residential care
Poor physical and mental health
(And expectation of future poor health)Slide4Slide5
Key Facts
Nearly half of all people aged 75 or over live alone
6% of older people leave their house once a week or less
17% of older people have less than weekly contact with family, friends or neighbours
Age UK; Later life in rural England, Slide6
More facts and figures
Between 6% and 13% of older people say they feel always or very lonely
(Victor, 2011)
If approximately 10% of the population aged over 65 is chronically lonely, this equates to about 11,500 people in Worcestershire
(ONS, 2012)
Almost 5 million older people say that the television is their main form of company
(
Harrop
and
Jopling
, 2009)Slide7
More facts and figures
63% of adults aged 52 or over who have been widowed, and 51% of the same group who are separated or divorced report, feeling lonely some of the time or often (Beaumont, 2013
59% of adults aged over 52 who report poor health say they feel lonely some of the time or often, compared to 21% who say they are in excellent health (Beaumont, 2013)
A higher percentage of women than men report feeling lonely some of the time or often (Beaumont, 2013)
Campaign to end lonelinessSlide8
Risk Factors for Loneliness
Personal
Poor health
Sensory loss
Loss of mobility
Lower income
Bereavement
Retirement
Becoming a carer
Other changes
(E.g. giving up driving)
Wider society
Lack of public transport
Physical environment
(E.g. no public toilets or benches)
Housing
Fear of crime
High population turnover
Demographics
Technological changesSlide9
The Impact of Loneliness
“Individuals who are socially isolated are between two and five times more likely than those who have strong social ties to die prematurely.”
Marmot M. (2010). Fair society, healthy lives,
The Marmot ReviewSlide10
The Impact of Loneliness - biological
People are less likely to engage in safe behaviours if isolated
Loneliness makes it harder for people to regulate risky behaviours
E.g. Smoking, drinking, over eating
Loneliness also creates changes in the brain which can exacerbate or precipitate ill-health.
Loneliness can result in physical changes that increase risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and strokeSlide11
The Impact of Loneliness - mental health
Depression affects 1 in 5 older people living in the community and 2 in 5 in care homes
Lonely individuals are more prone to depression
This has been show to be causal
The more lonely someone is the more likely they are to experience depressive symptoms
Loneliness affects cognition
Lonely people become more vigilant for threats and focussed on self-preservation
They can become less attentive to others’ feelings
They exaggerate negative and positive interactions
All this can impact relationshipsSlide12
The Impact of Loneliness - mortality
A meta-analysis of 148 studies of social relationships and mortality
50% increase in survival for those with strong social connections after an average of 7½ years.
Having weak social connections carries a health risk:
Equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day
Equivalent to being an alcoholic
More harmful than not exercising
Twice as harmful as obesity
These correlations are likely to be greater for social connections if the positive effects of relationships were isolated.Slide13
The Impact of Loneliness – Quality of Life
New quality of life measure developed by Bowling based on research into needs and aspirations looking at
Social and family relationships
Social roles and activities
Health and functional ability (enablers)
Home and neighbourhood (perceived social capital)
Psychological well-being and outlook
(life satisfaction, contentment, optimism, social comparisons)
Income
Independence and being in control of one’s own life
Religion, culture and children
Social relationships were ranked as the key dimension of quality of lifeSlide14
Types of Intervention
One-to-One – befriending, mentoring
Group services – day centres, social events
Community engagement – encouraging participation; choirs, time banks, Slide15
Examples of Good Practice in Worcestershire
Ageing Well Befriending Project - Malvern Hills
Launched October 2013
50 clients have been identified and referred
Additional 10 receiving regular care calls
37 volunteers
15Slide16
Examples of Good Practice in Worcestershire
Ageing well in Worcester City - Onside Advocacy
Increase identification of isolated 50+
Increase access to assessment, information and guidance for isolated 50+ to assist them to access health, care and support services they need or desire, including social or community support
Increased levels of mental wellbeing and physical health
16Slide17
Other Examples of good practice in Worcestershire
Village agents schemes connecting people with local services.
Voluntary sector offering visiting services into people's homes, such as Wellcheck which connect people with supportive services.
Showcase of services for older people.
Community Wellbeing interventions- training programmes, meals, foot care
And many more...Slide18
Examples of good practice
Village Agents
Social prescribing - improving mental health outcomes; improving community well-being and reducing social exclusion (Friedli and Watson, 2004)
17% of older people have less than weekly contact with family, friends or neighboursSlide19
Examples of good practice
The Zimmers
The oldest rock band in the UK!Slide20
Examples of good practice
LinkAge
Bristol
Walking group; coffee morning; lunch club; film club; tai chi; line dancing; gentle exercise; singing; arts and crafts; computer
classes
www.linkagebristol.org.uk
Costs £350,000 a year
15 staff
200 volunteers
3,000+ older people impacted, 600 over 85
For every £1 spent social return on investment estimated to be £1.20Slide21
Toolkit for health and wellbeing Boards
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk/toolkit
21Slide22
Cost-effectiveness
Befriending services
Cost about £80 per year per person
£35 savings in first year
Including quality of life improvements saving approximately £300 per year
Economic benefits of community navigator even greater
Older individuals in group activities
Cost of health service use per person in the group €1,522 per year compared to €2,465 in control group
Cost of intervention was €62 per person per year