Thoughtful Engagement a Solution for Social Isolation Made Worse by COVID

Thoughtful Engagement?  for Social Isolation

A recent global health research and policy study has detailed the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of older adults in our country, noting that "social isolation and loneliness are likely to be one of the most affected health outcomes," resulting from the pandemic.[1]

Seniors who live alone, or who find themselves without their usual social connections may experience social isolation, and this isolation is amplified with social distancing rules. While senior loneliness is an important issue that can impact health, social isolation is different and often more serious. Seniors who are isolated are physically separated from other people. Before the pandemic, this often occurred because of a death of a spouse, distance from family or friends, or an inability to engage in usual social activities due to mental or physical impairment. Now, in the wake of the pandemic, the causes of social isolation are amplified as we're seeing more and more older adults confined to their homes.

Social isolation can have a large impact on a person’s life and cause or contribute to negative health issues. While it's often true that those experiencing social isolation are sometimes resistant to offers of support from friends and family members, during the pandemic that support is more challenging to offer in the first place, especially considering that in-person visits are more limited because they put a loved one at risk.  

Reaching these seniors and providing them with a pathway out of social isolation requires engaging them in activities based on their own interests, strengths and limitations. This strategy for reaching out to seniors offers focused, one-on-one, allowing them to feel more connected to the world around them, which is especially important now, during the COVID-19 health crisis.  Our Thoughtful Engagement? Program offers such activities and connection.

The Impact of Social Isolation

We all understand the feeling of isolation to some degree, especially now as many of us have been stuck alone in quarantine. It is stressful to feel completely alone. However, for many older adults, social isolation can be more serious because there is little to no hope it will end. This feeling of hopelessness is amplified for seniors who have lost the ability to drive, have partners and close friends who have passed on, or who live far from family.

Research has demonstrated that social isolation can trigger or intensify depression and other mental health issues. Those who are isolated often stop caring for themselves, and make poor health choices, such as drinking and smoking. People who are socially isolated are more likely to catch the flu and other infectious diseases, and they often experience higher blood pressure. There have also been links between social isolation and an earlier onset of dementia. Many families are reporting loved one’s in facilities experiencing significant cognitive decline.

Overall, being socially isolated for any significant period of time is more harmful to someone’s health than obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Even though it has serious impacts, it is hard to intervene and help seniors who are socially isolated, especially now. With quarantines and social distancing, the only safe way to connect is often online and for some older adults, technology is a barrier they are unable to navigate. Plus, some people may resist your efforts to help, often out of depression. One in four seniors are socially isolated right now according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. How can we reach and advocate for these people in need while keeping them safe and reducing risk of transmission?

Social Isolation & How Thoughtful Engagement Can Help

Our Thoughtful Engagement? Program combats the sources of social isolation and safely offers seniors the support they need as a unique individual. While COVID-19 has increased the number of seniors experiencing social isolation, these sources exist nonetheless and have only been exacerbated by this pandemic. Our Thoughtful Engagement? Coordinator, Rose Shepherd, addresses these sources of isolation and works with seniors to overcome barriers and identify new sources of joy and engagement.

Cognitive Impairment and Memory

Cognitive impairment and memory issues can be a significant source of social isolation. Seniors may not know how to navigate to familiar places, like a coffee shop, to meet up with their friends. They may forget how to play games or be embarrassed or unable to partake in events like an online trivia night. What’s worse, is that seniors who have cognitive impairment may stop reaching out or participating socially out of embarrassment or shame.

We can thoughtfully engage with people who are socially isolated due to cognitive issues by choosing activities that they love that are simple and uncomplicated. We can also provide support by explaining concepts and offering guidance without our loved one having to ask—avoiding feelings of embarrassment. 

Physical Ability and Transportation

As people age driving often becomes challenging. Further, older adults sometimes avoid events that involve some physical activity, even a walk with a neighbor, because they are afraid of falling and injuring themselves. Once their physical limits have caused social isolation, many people often begin neglecting their need for physical activity, making the situation worse.  

We can thoughtfully intervene with those people who are socially isolated due to physical ability by bringing them to situations where they will feel more physically confident. They should always have a place to sit if they need a break, and physical activity should go at their pace—not a group’s pace. A walk in a park or down the street is a safe activity that can be done thoughtfully during the pandemic. A visit to a local outdoor botanical garden or a zoo, with the use of a transport chair if necessary and weather permitting, can be a way to escape the day-to-day isolation at home.

Interests and Hobbies

Generic seniors’ activities, especially group activities like Bingo, do not appeal to everyone. While there are many staple activities you will find on the calendar at local senior’s centers and retirement homes, the truth is that Bingo, cards, art, or coffee dates are only appealing to some. People who are socially isolated are even less likely to reach out and make new connections when an event does not appeal to them. One of the best parts of aging should be relishing in the activities that bring you the most joy, where you have developed the most skill, or that are most meaningful and important to you. It's therefore critical to tailor activities to the very specific interests of each person you're helping.  

At the moment, many older adults are simply avoiding the interests and hobbies they love out of fear, or because they're unable to participate because they're socially isolating. While some activities have moved online, the fact is that technology is a barrier to some seniors. Our Thoughtful Engagement? Program finds creative ways to overcome these barriers.

Death and Distance

As we age, we begin to lose some of the connections that we have cherished our whole lives. Children and other family move away to pursue opportunities. Partners and close friends may pass on or move to be with their own families. The social institutions that we rely on, such as Church, clubs, and leisure organizations have changed or faded as society shifts to a new "normal."

In our post-pandemic world, it is challenging for some older adults to make new connections. That’s why one-on-one attention in Thoughtful Engagement? is so important. Instead of feeling lost in a crowd of strangers, the individual can experience thoughtful connection from one specific person. That one-on-one time makes it easier to build a real connection that can provide the comfort and support needed to enjoy life. 

A Key Advantage of Thoughtful Engagement

At Aging Life, when we work with an older adult and their family, we focus on strengthening the remaining connections that they have and finding meaning and joy in today. We also remind the individual that even when the Thoughtful Engagement? Program is over, they aren't alone! Listen in to this week’s podcast, offered by our sister company Aging Life Network? (AgingLifeNetwork.com) to learn more or contact us directly for help and advice to keep your loved one safe and connected during this challenging time.[KF1] 

Nancy Oriola, LCSW, CMC, NMG, CFP                   

Founder & CEO

Aging Life, LLC and Aging Life Network?

(505)338-0720

Rose Shepherd, Thoughtful Engagement? Coordinator

[email protected]

[1] Wu, B. Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19: a global challenge. glob health res policy 5, 27 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-020-00154-3

 [KF1]Insert contact links here.