The Emerging Of Ageing And Dementia Research

Activity theory of aging suggest that when elderly people interact with the community and include activities in their daily routine they are their happiest (Baird, 2011, p. 187). Ariel stated that “everyone need some form of release” (Lemmon, 1995).

“Research study findings reflect the potential for reducing loneliness by encouraging communication through Internet-based technology. For technological innovations to have the positive psychological and physical effects noted, older adults must have access to the resources available, as well as the knowledge to use them; research indicates that, like Helen, many older Americans are making technology part of their everyday lives” (McCausland 24). Even though technology has increased relationships, there is a huge risk for individuals to become isolated and lose the ability to read body language and social cues. “As men and women age, they tend to become more homebound and less mobile. Such circumstances lead to an increase in isolation and the potential for loneliness, the painful feeling of social isolation that accompanies perceived deficiencies in the number or quality of one's social relationships. Current estimations of loneliness among individuals 65 and older living in the United States vary from 20% to approximately 35%” (McCausland

Being a social worker with older adults for over 30 years has shown me that this population is vulnerable to social isolation due to a multitude of losses. These include the death of one’s spouse and friends, retirement, reduced finances, physical and cognitive decline. The recent advent of social media has brought the potential to improve emotional well-being by connecting people. A number of studies have explored the relationship between Internet and quality of life, however, there is little evidence available looking specifically at social engagement tools as a means to improve emotional health. I would like to focus specifically on the effects of social engagement on isolation among older adults and I believe doctoral research is necessary to achieve this goal.

The increase in nonfamily households (those who live alone) is cause by a few causes such as people becoming widow’s at older ages, the increased of divorce among adults of all age groups, and passed on marriage among young adults. (Wetzel, 1990) Recent research has revealed that 43 percent of people over sixty lived alone with most pensioners living far away from family members, and some having no family members at all. Half of seventy-five year olds receive monthly visits from family members and a quarter only receives weekly visits. (Beckford, 2011) By 2031, the statistics of elderly people living alone is predicted to rise dramatically to between 841,800 and 901,800. (Abs.gov.au, 2014) This research shows a significant change compared to fifty years ago when most elderly people who weren’t with a parent shared the same house as their adult children. (Kellam-Scott,

Researchers have identified several main gaps in this research area. These include difficulties in measuring social isolation, lack of randomisation in studies, as well as small sample sizes, meta analysis being conducted purely on English written studies and very limited research that has been carried out in Australia (Dickens, et al., 2011). Very few studies who look at social isolation in both urban and rurall environments (Luggen & Rini, 1995). Bruce (2002) emphasised that psychosocial factors needed to be studied in the context of biological variables. While Pittock (2012) stresses the need for more research into cost-effective treatment options for social isolation and depression in the elderly research into residential care is lacking, as well as limited studies focusing on protective factors for social isolation and depression. Grenade and

Actually, anyone, who would come and spend time with them, they treated as an old friend. I really had no idea why so many of them seemed so eager, simply for someone to spend time with them. Georgia informed me that almost sixty percent of the individuals live alone or in a home with little activity or interaction with others. She also said that individuals with a lower social status were more likely to be in these types of homes. Some would find this hard to believe but as they get older, slowly, overtime, it’s a norm for them to become isolated from their communities, jobs, family, and friends. The result, most often, is loneliness and no one to lean on for emotional support. This actually works with the disengagement theory of aging, within Structural Factualism. Basically it make perfect sense for elderly individuals to disengage because they have seen friends of the same age die and they start to realize how close they are to death as well. Men and women disengage in different ways tough, perfect example of gender socialization. Most often men have a larger impact through their jobs and the ladies impact more on societies that are socio-emotional naturally. As people age and retire, they lose their specialized skills and knowledge gained by being part of a company, trade, or workforce and lose credibility or respect for respect for themselves. They begin to have depressed

The ‘golden years’ are the typical societal perception of adequate finances, good health and spare time that offers older people the opportunity and freedom of enjoying a phase where life is lived to the full (Barnes, 2011). This notion is rather a misconception, appertaining predominately to the financially secure minority who have always lived with relative ease. In comparison, the lifelong rigours of those less fortunate tends to result in them being one of society’s most vulnerable through succumbing to age-related problems, particularly frailty, physical and mental impairments. Hindered with low income, poor support networks and deteriorating health at an earlier age, life for a growing number of older citizens increasingly lacks quality, revolving around loneliness, pain and misery (Norton and West, 2014).

Initial data was gathered from the ELSA, a longitudinal study, which was a population-based cohort study of 6,500 men and women. Participants were reassessed every two years to collect information regarding their isolation and overall health. The most significant data supported the relationship between social isolation and all-cause morality, as demonstrated by 21.9% deaths in high isolated groups. The study considered and adjusted for socioeconomic status, relationship status, current health indicators, and education, thus strengthening the reliability of the statistics. The data suggests that social isolation and loneliness are associated with arthritis, mobility impairment, depression, and even higher levels of social isolation in existing terminal

The elderly that are more at risk of isolation include those who reside in urban areas (Dwyer and Hardill 2011), as urban life damages kinship bonds and personal relationships (Simmel 1903). Around half of the elderly over 80 years old report frequent isolation (Dykstra 2009), so prefer to spend more time in the private sphere, notably the home (AARP 1996) as it possesses memories and nostalgia (Gregory et al. 2009 p.340) thus

Regardless of age, our greatest influences are those we choose to associate with, and similarly who we look to for support. The support we receive in these scenarios in turn influence our health behavior, psychological condition, and physiologic state (Smith, 2014). By definition, the term social engagement applies to both formal (i.e. going to church) and informal (i.e. watching television) relationships and gathering, and references some sort of participation. Seeing that people today nearly spend one-third of their lifespan in old age, it is important that they remain active for as long as they are able to. However, under the influence of ageism, the elderly become discouraged, and so conform to society’s expectations of them. The disengagement theory is contingent upon these terms insomuch as it justifies their doing so. But, just as the discrimination and stereotyping of individuals on the basis of age is condemned and criticized, so too is Cumming’s theory. Yet, one question still remains. Why is it that not all elderly people meet this

a lot about older adults and the relationships they keep in this life stage. As I read these articles I, specifically enjoyed the results of each studies being done. What interest me most about these results are the gender asymmetry in older adult dating is not surprising considering that older men enjoy a larger pool of potential dating partners than women, reflecting gender differences in life expectancy and norms prescribing that men should date younger women (Brown 2013). Also, I enjoyed reading about friendship in older adulthood and how men and women choose their friendships

One of the effects of social isolation on human is mental health. The first issue is depression that is a part of mental disturbance. Cacioppo et al. (cited in Roberts 2014) report that loneliness is considerably related with depressive symptoms. Also, the Victorian Population Health Survey (cited in VicHealth 2005) found that people with few social networks were likely to suffer of psychological distress, which lead to depression. According to VicHealth, there is a relationship between depression and developing Alzheimer’s disease. Indeed Wilson et al. (cited in Roberts 2014, p. 25) report that who is lonely, are 2 times

Loneliness and isolation have some commonalities so some people misunderstood their meanings and interchanged the term ‘isolation’ with ‘loneliness’. However, they are not synonymous. Social isolation is an objective state. This term refers to people having infrequent social interaction, living solo and can be measured through how many contacts a person have (Cutler 2012, p.7). It can not sure that social isolation makes people have the feelings of loneliness. Loneliness is likely to be experienced by those who are not socially isolated but isolation can become one of the factors leading to loneliness.

The elderly more at risk of isolation include those who reside in urban areas (Dwyer and Hardill 2011), due to the damaging of kinship bonds in such an environment (Simmel 1903), with up to 50% of the elderly over 80 years old reporting they are often isolated (Dykstra 2009). Thus, the elderly prefer to spend more time in their homes (AARP 1996), as it

There are a number of population groups vulnerable to loneliness. However, elderly people are often more so targeted by loneliness which is owed to ‘loss of friends and family, loss of mobility or loss of income’.(Saito) Because of this, there has been an increased public concern on the issue of loneliness in senior populations. The statistics on population aging in developed countries are well known. Those aged 60 and above currently account for approximately 20 percent of the population in developed countries and this proportion is expected to rise to 24 percent by 2030. In the next 20 years, the population of those aged over 80 will triple and those over 90 will double.(aging statistics) As the population of the elderly in these