Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2020-05-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309671035

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Overcoming Loneliness in Everyday Life

Overcoming Loneliness in Everyday Life
Author: Jacqueline Olds
Publisher: Birch Lane Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 1996
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9781559723435

Explores the risks of loneliness, analyzes its relationship to American individualism, and shows how to overcome it through participating in shared tasks with others

Reconnecting after Isolation

Reconnecting after Isolation
Author: Susan J. Noonan
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2022-11-08
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1421444240

How to keep calm, carry on, and reconnect during times of social isolation and emotional crisis. Although spending time alone for short periods may be restorative and helpful, unintentional or involuntary isolation can have profound detrimental effects on emotional and physical health. We all need social interaction and meaningful relationships in our lives to be well and thrive. Without them, we flounder. In Reconnecting after Isolation, Dr. Susan J. Noonan draws on our collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to help readers deal with the emotional impact of social isolation. Speaking as both a provider and recipient of mental health care services, Noonan combines her professional and personal experiences in an evidence-based and practical guide. Drawing on meticulous research and interviews with four psychologists, she outlines steps to overcome the emotional trauma of isolation. The book touches on how social isolation, loneliness, and stress affect each of us individually and can sometimes provoke depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidality, and substance use. Describing specific lifestyle interventions that may help, it offers tips for • developing effective coping skills • facing isolation-induced fears adapting effectively to the changes in our personal, family, work, academic, and social lives caused by imposed isolation • finding effective, culturally sensitive mental health care • improving sleep hygiene • building and maintaining resilience • adopting a healthy diet • overcoming the fatigue burnout • grieving a loss • engaging in regular physical exercise • keeping a daily routine or structure • maintaining contact with others Dr. Noonan also discusses re-entry anxiety, the challenging experience many have upon returning to their prior lifestyle, and the difficulty of establishing new school and work routines following social isolation. Accessible and compassionate, Reconnecting after Isolation empowers individuals to manage their own challenges, offering them a better chance of recovery and of staying well.

The Psychology of Groups

The Psychology of Groups
Author: Craig D. Parks
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2020-07-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9781433831805

This book synthesizes research on groups from two separate but related fields--social psychology and clinical psychology--and encourages collaboration among researchers who are interested in different types of groups.

Friendship as Sacred Knowing

Friendship as Sacred Knowing
Author: Samuel Kimbriel
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0199363986

We are haunted, Samuel Kimbriel suggests, by a habit of isolation buried, often imperceptibly, within our practices of understanding and relating to the world. In this volume he works through the complexities of this disposition to contest its place within contemporary philosophical thought and practice. He focuses on the human activity of friendship. Chapters one and two examine friendship to unearth the contours of this habit towards isolation and to reveal certain ills that have long attended it. Chapters three through seven place these isolated ways of relating to the world into critical dialogue with the tradition of late-antique and early-medieval Johannine Christianity, in which intimacy and understanding go hand in hand. This tradition drew the human activities of friendship and enquiry into such unity that understanding itself became a kind of communion. Kimbriel endorses a return to an antique and particularly Christian philosophical habit - "the befriending of wisdom."

Grief and Loneliness

Grief and Loneliness
Author: Joyce Meyer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1998
Genre: Emotions
ISBN: 9781577940166

In this book, internationally known conference speaker, Joyce Meyer teaches how to conquer the feelings of loneliness, and find renewed strength, hope, and joy through our Lord Jesus. She offers practical and effective ways of overcoming loneliness and grief to live a happy, more fulfilled life.

The Instant Mood Fix

The Instant Mood Fix
Author: Olivia Remes
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2021-05-13
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1473592496

'Science-led and packed with practical tips, this book will change your life for the better' Fearne Cotton As seen on TedTalk - over 2 million views ________________________________ When panic strikes, grab this book. University of Cambridge mental health researcher Dr. Olivia Remes has spent the past decade uncovering the secrets to reducing anxiety, stress and panic. In this short, no-nonsense book, Dr Olivia gives you 50 simple, science-based solutions to fight the moods that hold us all back. Targeting everything from overwhelm to indecision and anxiety to lack of motivation, these unexpected tips and tricks will help you relieve the pressure in the short term and experience long-term post-traumatic growth. Designed to dip in and out of when you need it most, this book will help you tame your worries and reclaim control. No more procrastination, avoiding situations, or blaming yourself - The Instant Mood Fix empowers you to feel calm, confident and resilient.

Loneliness

Loneliness
Author: John T Cacioppo
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2009-07-28
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0393335283

A pioneering neuroscientist reveals the reasons for chronic loneliness--which he defines an unrecognized syndrome--and brings it out of the shadow of its cousin, depression. 12 illustrations.

Feeling Lonesome

Feeling Lonesome
Author: Ben Lazare Mijuskovic
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2015-06-23
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1440840296

This book presents an intricate, interdisciplinary evaluation of loneliness that examines the relation of consciousness to loneliness. It views loneliness from the inside as a universal human condition rather than attempting to explain it away as an aberration, a mental disorder, or a temporary state to be addressed by superficial therapy and psychiatric medication. Loneliness is much more than just feeling sad or isolated. It is the ultimate ground source of unhappiness—the underlying reality of all negative human behavior that manifests as anxiety, depression, envy, guilt, hostility, or shame. It underlies aggression, domestic violence, murder, PTSD, suicide, and other serious issues. This book explains why the drive to avoid loneliness and secure intimacy is the most powerful psychological need in all human beings; documents how human beings gravitate between two motivational poles: loneliness and intimacy; and advocates for an understanding of loneliness through the principles of idealism, rationalism, and insight. Readers will understand the underlying theory of consciousness that explains why people are lonely, thereby becoming better equipped to recognize sources of loneliness in themselves as well as others. Written by a licensed social worker and former mental health therapist, the book documents why whenever individuals or groups feel lonely, alienated, estranged, disenfranchised, or rejected, they will either withdraw within and shut down, or they will attack others with little thought of consequence to either themselves or others. Perhaps most importantly, the work identifies the antidotes to loneliness as achieving a sense of belonging, togetherness, and intimacy through empathic emotional attachments, which come from a mutual sharing of "lived experiences" such as feelings, meanings, and values; constant positive communication; and equal decision making.

The Part-Time Artist: Stay Creative & Pay Your Bills

The Part-Time Artist: Stay Creative & Pay Your Bills
Author: Celine Terranova
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2019-03-06
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9781798108048

Being a creative with a job-to-pay-the-bills is not easy. Between the lack of consideration from society in general, the ever-growing costs of living, and the demands of adulthood, it is more and more difficult to find time and energy to create.Have you ever been super excited for a project, only to lose all motivation before you finished? Have you felt so tired that you could not bring yourself to do anything artistic? Have you felt so down on yourself about not doing anything that you started to doubt you had any talents in the first place?I know these feelings, because I've had them too! I am a writer, and all along my career I've tried to find a good balance so that I could keep writing while earning a living. It was a difficult battle. I've had day jobs in several different industries, from science to theatre. I've been so burned out at times that I didn't write for months. I've felt so low about my writing that I didn't perform well in my job. I've had so little free time that I neglected my relationships and my mental health.Thankfully, these years of struggle have taught me a lot, and I decided that I should share that knowledge and experience with other artists. This is why I have decided to write this book, The Part-Time Artist.In my book, I talk about my experience and all the lessons I've learned on my path to becoming a writer. I strongly believe that these lessons can be valuable to all of you. It doesn't matter if you are a writer like me, or a painter, or an actor, or a musician, or a designer, or any other type of artists. I know we all face the same struggles!When you get a copy of the book, here are some of the things you'll get: * An easy way to build productive habits to do more art on a daily basis* The common myth about the tortured artist, and why you don't have to be one* A step-by-step guide to build a business plan for your artistic career* The best way to set goals for your creativity* A strategy to make your day job work with your art (instead of the other way around!)* And much more!Not only that, but you will also benefit from several resources and useful tools, such as a weekly planner, a budget tool, a business spreadsheet and a FREE workbook