Social Engagement and Depression People have always prospered by being social. Much of mankind’s accomplishments have only been possible through the collaboration and teamwork between people. Social engagement is key to healthy living and aging as it is a component of life that all people face. Unfortunately, many older adults have or are experiencing social isolation, which has adverse effects on their overall health and well-being. According to Dury (2014), “Social isolation has been defined as an individual lacking a sense of belonging, social engagement and quality relationships with others, while loneliness or emotional isolation is defined as subjective, involving feelings of loss of companionship” (p. 125). Moreover, it is crucial to …show more content…
A key component of this essay is to evaluate the risks and consequences of ignoring the signs of social isolation and how to promote social engagement through practices and strategies. There are four main topics that will be examined that include: best practice standards to prevent morbidity and promote health, ways to assess health capacity of older adults, strategies that can be implemented, and ultimately community resources will be referenced. Best Practice Standards The onset of social isolation can lead to various outcomes. Depression is common occurrence for those that feel socially isolated from their peers. The magnitude of depression is even more drastic for older adults as other factors such as less independence, high risk of falls, disability, frailty, and death become realities they must consider (Findlay, Lloyd, & Finucane, 2017, p. 586). Depression is a serious and debilitating disorder that can affect one’s entire way of life if left unaddressed and untreated for too long. As previously mentioned, people are social animals that have an internal desire to work and …show more content…
Personally, I now have a greater sense of duty for providing emotional and therapeutic care to all patients. I can see the value of cognitively stimulating patients with authentic presence and social engagement. As for perspective, I now see older adults as regular people who just want to be able to talk with others as they please and live their lives normally. References CHATS. (2018). Adult Day Programs. Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://www.chats.on.ca/adult-day-programs Dury, R. (2014). Social isolation and loneliness in the elderly: an exploration of some of the issues. British Journal of Community Nursing, 19(3), 125-128. Findlay, C., Lloyd, A., & Finucane, A. M. (2017). Experience of emotion in frail older people towards the end of life: A secondary data analysis. British Journal of Community Nursing, 22(12), 586-592. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2017.22.12.586 Ramage-Morin, P. L., & Gilmour, H. (2013). Urinary incontinence and loneliness in Canadian seniors. Health Reports, (10),
Russell (1978), (http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jedp/article/download/46795/25238) established the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scale, which has been widely employed to this day, and performed a theoretical factor analysis for loneliness. His research and results attracted broad attention around the world. Loneliness can be studied by three approaches: the cognitive process approach, the human needs approach and the behavioral approach. The cognitive process approach emphasizes an individual’s mental awareness and assesses his or her social
Nicolaisen, M., & Thorsen, K. (2012). Impairments, mastery, and loneliness. A prospective study of loneliness among older adults. Norsk Epidemiologi, 22(2), 143-150.
If someone told you that social isolation kills more people than obesity does, would you believe it (Olien)? Social isolation can go beyond the idea of someone locking themselves in their room and not interacting with anyone (physical isolation). It can also be when someone is not feeling connected to society or a certain person (emotional isolation). In fact, in the short story “To Room Nineteen” by Doris Lessing, the protagonist of the story, Susan, found herself needing frequent absences from her family which eventually drove her to commit suicide. People isolate themselves for many different reasons and this feeling of isolation can very much lead to death. Social isolation is a serious medical condition and there are many effects on the mind that can come along which can eventually lead to voluntary and/or involuntary death.
Residents on wing 2 East at Leisure world Brampton, Wood was the target community of interest that was assessed. My aggregate are elderly resident age 80 – 90 years living with social isolation in wing 2 East at Leisure World long term care center, Brampton, Wood. The assessment was focused on the causes of social isolation; observed among the resident during windshield survey and interview with key informants. Social isolation and loneliness are described as feelings that are often experience by Older adults (Lucie,Gavin, Gosselin &Laforest 2009).
I learned that isolation is such a bigger problem amongst people in our day and time. Isolation is very serious and could possibly lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, withdrawal, and social anxiety. With the authors giving this message, I could possibly save someone who I know that could possibly be going through withdrawal or social
Social integration and participation of seniors in society are important indicators of healthy aging. However, seniors are always at risk of being socially isolated. Many factors can cause social isolation and among them population aging that resulted more seniors to live longer is one of the most important factors.
Gerontology provides different perspectives of the aging process and the evidence base from which health and social care practice with the older population is founded. Older people are affected differently by the ageing process. The disengagement theory provides a greater insight into why some older people withdraw from the society. According to the disengagement theory perspective, successful ageing is best achieved through abandoning social roles and relationships and by the individual reducing both activities and involvement. Disengaging from social activities and involvement put the older person at risk of being socially excluded. Social exclusion affects older people, although the risk increases with
There has been a considerable amount of inquiry which has associated loneliness to depression, low self-esteem, and physical illness (Hawley & Cacioppo, 2007; Sorkin, Rook, & Lu, 2002). Loneliness can also be detrimental to health as well as overall well-being later in life due to recent evidence implying that it accelerates physiological deterioration and advancement of chronic diseases in the elderly (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2007).
More specifically, the transitions associated with later life like retirement, medical problems, death of a loved ones, reduced social networks leads to depression in aging population (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009). It is seen that depression is one of the most common mental disorder among adults aged 65 and older (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).Depression is associated with anxiety and suffering that can lead to physical, mental, and social impairments. The presence of depressive disorders often negatively impact the course and complicates the treatment of other chronic diseases too (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).According to National Alliance of Mental Illness there are more than two million of the 40 million Americans age 65 and older who suffer from some form of depression (National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 2009).
From 2000 to 2010, the population who were ages 65 and older increased 15.1%. By 2050, there will be an estimated 81 million elderly Americans; they will make up about 13% of the total population. This would result in the increased demand for long term care; most of those placed in nursing homes lack the ability to complete everyday activities like eating, changing or even getting up. On top of that, there is still a great need for social interaction, for them to feel a part of the community and that people still continue to care. Social interaction is extremely important in the overall well being of the residents; available evidence suggests that there is a link with lower death risk and high levels of socialization. This shows that the more they interact, the happier
As adults the transition into old age can be difficult for some people. Frustration, lack of responsibility and dependence can make the process of aging undesirable. Old age should be viewed as another phase of life, but not the end of life. In order to help elderly cope with aging it is important for them to have social interaction. Support from family, friends and the local community can make a difference in the psychological well being of older adults.
The psychosocial assessment involves collecting and analyzing multidimensional information regarding the client and his family. This stage is the ongoing process during which the therapist and the client develop goals, needs and strategies for the intervention session. Therapeutic assessment with children and families is a semi-structured intervention in which psychological assessment is used to help families with children and adolescents to change” ( Aschieri, Fatini & Bertrando, 2012, p.285). The therapist and the client determine the client’ needs as well as plan of action to be followed during treatment. “Clients can experience positive transformative outcomes after participating in an assessment procedure” ( Ascheri, Fatini & Bertarandro, 2012,
Social Loneliness and Time Spend and Friends on Facebook According to English dictionary, loneliness is defined as the sadness experienced when a person has no company or friends. Loneliness creates anxiousness because an individual lacks communication with others whether in real life or social life. An individual could feel lonely even if they are surrounded by others. The research intends to distinguish whether social media leads to social loneliness amongst people based on time spent online.
For senior citizens, I feel there is a sense of loneliness. People they know are dying or have passed. They tend to remain homebound, with very little socialization. They rise early in the morning and go to sleep early in the evening. They sleep to avoid their
While being social has many benefits to the health of a person, it can have a negative effect if there is any financial stress, increased burdens, or ailing family member or partner (Annear et al., 2012). Caring for others as an elderly person can have both negative and positive effects while providing companionship and a sense of purpose, it can also make the elderly carers life more stressful and can sometimes make the carer feel emotionally isolated (Annear et al., 2012). Joining social groups will get encourage participation and interaction with other members of their social group; this will help in minimising the potential for social isolation and detachment. Barriers to having an active social health are living in rural or remote areas, long distances to services and social networks. It is important for elderly people to feel they still have some form of connection with their friends and family and feel that are still connect to