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Coronavirus and social relationships and support for vulnerable groups: 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Office for National Statistics
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 10
- Place of publication:
- Newport
This statistical release looks at the ways in which vulnerable groups, including older adults and those with a self-defined disability or who are Equality Act Disabled, normally receive support from their family, friends and wider community. This could be having help with shopping, providing or cooking meals or looking after grandchildren. It aims to develop a greater understanding of how a period of isolation, such as during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, might impact those in need of extra support. Data is at the UK level. Where this has not been possible, England-level data have been used. (Edited publisher abstract)
Lifeline of support
- Author:
- BENJAMIN Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Roof, July 2000, pp.36-37.
- Publisher:
- Shelter
Low-intensity support schemes provide a lifeline for vulnerable people living alone. Reports on how the role they play in promoting independence, and preventing crisis, is finally being recognised.
Vulnerable older people and action research: a consultant's tale
- Author:
- SLATER Phil
- Journal article citation:
- Care the Journal of Practice and Development, 7(2), May 1999, pp.27-37.
- Publisher:
- Pepar
The present article reports on a major piece of practitioner research into the needs of, and effective ways of working with, 'vulnerable' older people. The account is constructed from the particular vantage point of an external consultant to the project in question. In this way, the article attempts simultaneously to publicise the achievements of a particular piece of practitioner research, and to thematise the potential value of independent consultancy to such a project.
Telephone-based behavioral activation with mental imagery for depression: a pilot randomized clinical trial in isolated older adults during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Authors:
- PELLAS Johnny, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 37(1), 2022,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objectives: To shield vulnerable persons, particularly the elderly, during the Covid-19 pandemic governments around the world have advised to use social distancing and self-isolation. Social isolation might put older adults at an increased risk for mental health problems such as depression. There is a need for brief, easy-accessible psychological treatments for depressive symptoms that can be delivered remotely. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of telephone-delivered Behavioral Activation with Mental Imagery (BA-MI) for the treatment of depressive symptoms in individuals 65 years and older living in isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: In this open-label pilot randomized clinical trial, N = 41 individuals aged 65 years or older with clinically significant symptoms of depression were randomly assigned to either a BA-MI treatment condition, or an Attention-Assessment control condition delivered over the telephone over a 4-week period. Results: Depressive symptoms decreased more in the treatment condition compared to the control condition. At post-treatment, 2 out of 16 participants in the treatment condition met diagnostic criteria for depression compared to 9 out of 13 in the control condition. Most participants in the treatment condition were satisfied with the treatment and few adverse effects were observed. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that behavioural activation with mental imagery delivered over the telephone is feasible, acceptable, and potentially efficacious for the treatment of depressive symptoms in older individuals living in isolation. Replication in larger samples is needed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for the progression of frailty: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
- Authors:
- GALE Catharine R., WESTBURY Leo, COOPER Cyrus
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 47(3), 2018, p.392–397.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: loneliness and social isolation have been associated with mortality and with functional decline in older people. The authors investigated whether loneliness or social isolation are associated with progression of frailty. Methods: participants were 2,817 people aged ≥60 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Loneliness was assessed at Wave 2 using the Revised UCLA scale (short version). A social isolation score at Wave 2 was derived from data on living alone, frequency of contact with friends, family and children, and participation in social organisations. Frailty was assessed by the Fried phenotype of physical frailty at Waves 2 and 4, and by a frailty index at Waves 2–5. Results: high levels of loneliness were associated with an increased risk of becoming physically frail or pre-frail around 4 years later: relative risk ratios (95% CI), adjusted for age, sex, level of frailty and other potential confounding factors at baseline were 1.74 (1.29, 2.34) for pre-frailty, and 1.85 (1.14, 2.99) for frailty. High levels of loneliness were not associated with change in the frailty index—a broadly based measure of general condition—over a mean period of 6 years. In the sample as a whole, there was no association between social isolation and risk of becoming physically frail or pre-frail, but high social isolation was associated with increased risk of becoming physically frail in men. Social isolation was not associated with change in the frailty index. Conclusion: older people who experience high levels of loneliness are at increased risk of becoming physically frail. (Edited publisher abstract)
Only available to a selected few? Is it feasible to rely on a volunteer workforce for complex intervention delivery?
- Authors:
- MOUNTAIN Gail, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 25(1), 2017, pp.177-184.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper recounts the process of undertaking a randomised controlled trial which was designed to examine the effectiveness of an intervention for socially isolated older people aged 75 years and over. It describes the reasons for early cessation of the study and raises the implications of this outcome for policy, practice and research. The intervention under investigation was designed to alleviate loneliness and foster companionship. It involves participants being linked with a small group of others through a teleconferencing system with each group being facilitated by trained volunteers. There was a requirement to recruit and train a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 60 volunteers over 1 year to facilitate 20 friendship groups to meet the number of older people required to be recruited to the study. Problems with recruiting and retaining the volunteer workforce by the voluntary sector organisation, who were commissioned to do so, led to the study closing even though older people were recruited in sufficient numbers. The paper draws upon analysis of various data sources from the study to identify the potential reasons. The discussion raises considerations regarding the extent of infrastructure required to deliver community services to vulnerable user groups at scale, identifies some of the issues that need to be addressed if such volunteer-initiated services are to be successful and informs future research programmes in this area. (Publisher abstract)
Telecare and older people's social relations: AKTIVE working paper 3
- Author:
- KOIVUNEN Emma-Reetta
- Publisher:
- University of Leeds. Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 17
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
This paper focuses on the social relationships in the everyday lives of participants in the AKTIVE study and considers how telecare fits into these. Focusing on older people living at home with different types of frailty, the AKTIVE project aimed both to enhance understanding of how they (and those supporting them) accessed, engaged with and used the telecare equipment supplied to them, and to explore the consequences for them of doing so. This paper examines types of relationships and how these change, with a focus on being cared for and on the loneliness which many participants experienced. After discussing these aspects, the paper explores how telecare fitted into these relationships, assesses the extent to which social relations support or hinder telecare use, and discusses research participants’ experiences of this. The paper addresses three of the AKTIVE project’s research questions, adding to knowledge of: the characteristics of older people who use telecare and the contexts in which they do so; how telecare is used and affects those involved; and barriers to the adoption of telecare. In examining older people’s social relationships and how telecare fits into and affects these, the paper builds on sociological research on the use of technology, much of which has focused on information and communication technologies (ICTs). The paper explores new data collected through Everyday Life Analysis (ELA), a methodology using ethnographic observations and interviews with older people over a period of six to nine months. Research participants were supported to create maps of their social relations to help identify the people who supported them, who were also interviewed or observed wherever possible. (Edited publisher abstract)
Out of sight, out of mind: social exclusion behind closed doors
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 40p.
- Place of publication:
- London
1.2 million people over 50 are severely excluded: 400,000 aged 50 to 64, 360,000 aged 65 to 79, and 400,000 aged over 80. They have an average income of just £131 per week. A woman over the age of 85 is six times more likely to be severely excluded than a woman aged between 65 and 69. 56% of severely excluded people over 50 do not consider their health to be good, compared to just 17% of those with no signs of exclusion. One in five people over 80 living alone are severely excluded, and men over 80 living alone are 11 times more likely to be lonely than men over 80 who are living with a partner. The number of very old people living alone is expected to increase by 16% over the next 15 years. Recently bereaved 65-79 year olds are 10 times more likely than those who are married to be lonely; recently bereaved older people are three times more likely than married older people to show three symptoms of depression. Over half of homes that are privately rented by the over 50s are considered non-decent. Those aged 50-64 are eight times more likely to be severely socially excluded if they rent their home privately than if they own it or pay a mortgage. The number of people with dementia is set to rise from 700,000 at present to 1 million by 2025, significantly increasing the number at risk of social exclusion.
Caring for someone in their own home: a handbook for friends and family
- Author:
- HOWARD Helen
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 280p.
- Place of publication:
- London
One in eight people in Britain is now a carer. This helpful book is packed with practical information about dealing with the everyday business of caring for someone, usually an older person, in their own home, from medication to moving and handling someone without damaging one's back. Chapters include: daily essentials, coping with a crisis, dealing with the health and social care system, meeting carer's own needs, and what to do if someone dies. There is also a useful section on lifting, supporting, turning, lowering, and generally handling a person properly to minimise the risk of damage. There is advice on mobility, equipment, taking medicines, exercise, finances, coming out of hospital, care homes, and learning to say no.
Effects of a community health promotion program on social factors in a vulnerable older adult population residing in social housing
- Authors:
- AGARWAL Gina, BRYDGES Madison
- Journal article citation:
- BMC Geriatrics, 18(95), 2018, Online only
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central Ltd
Background: Supporting older adults’ health and wellbeing in the community is an important policy goal that can be supported by health promotion. Despite widespread acceptance of the biopsychosocial model of health and its relation to health, many health promotion programs fail to realize this model in program design. Further, there is limited evidence to support program design targeting social determinants of health such as social isolation or connectedness. To fill this gap, this study aimed to understand older adult’s experiences participating in cardiovascular health promotion program in a subsidized residential building to capture unintended ‘spin-off’ psychosocial effects. Methods: This study took a constructivist, ethnographic approach utilizing participant observation and semi-structured interviews with participants of the program to understand participant’s lived experiences of a health promotion program. In total, eighty hours of field work and fifteen semi-structured interviews with participants of the program were undertaken. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Four themes emerged. First, the health promotion program filled a perceived gap caused by a constrained and impersonal health care system. Secondly, the program connected older adults with resources and provided regular and secure access to health information and support. Third, for some residents, the program facilitated social relationships between older adults, leaving participants feeling more socially connected to other residents. Lastly, a paradox of loneliness emerged where older adults talked openly about feelings of loneliness, however not in relation to themselves, but rather regarding their peers. Conclusions: Psychosocial aspects of health, such as loneliness, social connectedness, and social support may be of equal value as the physical health benefits to the older adults who participate in health promotion programs. Incorporating these elements into programming is a complex goal, and the complexity of targeting social determinants of health such as social loneliness or connectedness should not be under-estimated. Given the benefits of targeting social determinants of health, future research should be considered that measure both the objective and subjective aspects of social isolation, loneliness and connectedness in health promotion programming. (Edited publisher abstract)