Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults Risk and Protective Factors

Course overview

This course is based upon material published by the National Academies Press and is available as an open-access article. This course reviews the risk and protective factors for social isolation and loneliness, including predisposing physical health factors (e.g., chronic diseases, functional impairments); psychological, psychiatric, and cognitive factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, dementia); sociocultural factors (e.g., social supports, disruptive life events); and social environmental factors (e.g., transportation, housing). The chapter then summarizes the risks of social isolation and loneliness among specific subpopulations. Given the complexity of the terminology used in relation to social isolation and loneliness, a reminder of key definitions is provided. This course on social isolation and loneliness in older adults is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate, and advanced level practitioners who wish to increase their knowledge of risks and protective factors for social isolation and loneliness. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing education courses for license renewal. Contributors: Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults; Board on Health Sciences Policy; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Health and Medicine Division; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Specifically, a professional will: Identify key definitions related to social isolation and loneliness Distinguish physical health factors related to social isolation and loneliness Summarize societal and cultural factors that can affect how people interact with their environments and whether they experience social isolation or loneliness Citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Chapter4 Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.