Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID‐19 Shelter‐in‐Place Orders

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Physical distancing during the COVID‐19 pandemic may have unintended, detrimental effects on social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Our objectives were to investigate (1) experiences of social isolation and loneliness during shelter‐in‐place orders, and (2) unmet h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2021-01, Vol.69 (1), p.20-29
Main Authors:	Kotwal, Ashwin A., Holt‐Lunstad, Julianne, Newmark, Rebecca L., Cenzer, Irena, Smith, Alexander K., Covinsky, Kenneth E., Escueta, Danielle P., Lee, Jina M., Perissinotto, Carla M.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Aged Aged, 80 and over Clinical Investigation COVID-19 COVID-19 - prevention & control COVID‐19‐Related Content Female Geriatric Assessment Geriatrics Health needs Humans Independent Living - psychology Internet Leisure Loneliness Loneliness - psychology Longitudinal Studies Male Medicine older adults Older people Pandemics Physical Distancing Psychiatric Status Rating Scales Quarantine - psychology San Francisco SARS-CoV-2 Shelters Social interaction Social interactions Social isolation Social Isolation - psychology Social support Technology
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Summary:	BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Physical distancing during the COVID‐19 pandemic may have unintended, detrimental effects on social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Our objectives were to investigate (1) experiences of social isolation and loneliness during shelter‐in‐place orders, and (2) unmet health needs related to changes in social interactions. DESIGN Mixed‐methods longitudinal phone‐based survey administered every 2 weeks. SETTING Two community sites and an academic geriatrics outpatient clinical practice. PARTICIPANTS A total of 151 community‐dwelling older adults. MEASUREMENTS We measured social isolation using a six‐item modified Duke Social Support Index, social interaction subscale, that included assessments of video‐based and Internet‐based socializing. Measures of loneliness included self‐reported worsened loneliness due to the COVID‐19 pandemic and loneliness severity based on the three‐item University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. Participants were invited to share open‐ended comments about their social experiences. RESULTS Participants were on average aged 75 years (standard deviation = 10), 50% had hearing or vision impairment, 64% lived alone, and 26% had difficulty bathing. Participants reported social isolation in 40% of interviews, 76% reported minimal video‐based socializing, and 42% minimal Internet‐based socializing. Socially isolated participants reported difficulty finding help with functional needs including bathing (20% vs 55%; P = .04). More than half (54%) of the participants reported worsened loneliness due to COVID‐19 that was associated with worsened depression (62% vs 9%; P
ISSN:	0002-8614 1532-5415