What kinds of social opportunities did older adults prefer?

Details

Loneliness is a growing international problem and is expected to increase as the population ages. The researchers aimed to explore older adults’ experiences of social connection and loneliness, as well as the acceptability of emerging approaches to mitigating loneliness.

Using a constructivist paradigm, they conducted an interpretative qualitative study, interviewing 31 community-dwelling older adults in a regional metropolitan area. They examined the data using inductive thematic analysis.

Four key themes emerged: age-related changes to social connection; key connections in later age and how they are sourced; navigating being alone and the experience of loneliness; and fostering health and social connection in later life.

Participants experienced social connection and loneliness to varying degrees, influenced by engagement with family, friends, group activities and volunteering. They were selective and preferred social opportunities based on their interests. The researchers suggest that approaches to reducing loneliness should particularly target older people who live alone, have mobility challenges, do not drive or have low digital literacy.