Loneliness among older people living in care homes in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Aim and objectives The aim of this study was to explore loneliness in older people (aged 65+) living in care homes in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Background Loneliness, defined as the subjective, unwelcome feeling of the lack or loss of companionship, is known to be associated with old age, especially among older people living in care homes. Although several studies have shown that loneliness is highly prevalent, we lack knowledge about older people's personal experience of loneliness when residing in a care home and the strategies that older people use by themselves on a day‐to‐day basis to alleviate loneliness. Methods The participants (n = 75) were randomly selected from three different types of care homes: governmental, non‐governmental and private, and loneliness was screened using the Revised University of California–Los Angeles (R‐UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The 15 participants with the highest score on the loneliness scale were purposively selected for individual interviews. Results The median loneliness score was 45 (range 20–80); no significant differences concerning loneliness were found between the care homes. No differences concerning loneliness were found for any demographic variable except marital status. Loneliness was experienced as coping with inner pain, which older people described as emotional suffering caused by feeling abandoned from the family network and fettered to the care home, anxious about their future and depressed. Participants managed their loneliness by accepting their loneliness, practising religion, staying in touch with family, engaging in daily activities and participating in social activities. Conclusion Reliable and socio‐culturally validated tools for screening loneliness and culturally applicable interventions targeting factors associated with loneliness are necessary in the care of older people residing in care homes. A person‐centred approach involving family or significant others is recommended in clinical practice, and an increase in the number of nurses with specialist education in geriatric nursing seems urgent.

A Conceptual Review of Loneliness in Adults: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

“…Of the 27 studies on emotional loneliness, seven studies explored emotional loneliness as a consequence of relational issues [132,136,138,142,148,153,155,157], further supporting the idea that social and emotional loneliness are interconnected. Four of these identified that complex family dynamics including responsibility for childcare, older children leaving home, and bereavement (for mothers) [132]; poor childhood attachment (to fathers), and weak sibling relationships [153]; being placed in a care home [148]; and loss of intimate partner relationships [136,155]. These all resulted in the deeply emotional character of loneliness connected to low mood, a lack of sense of purpose and feelings of suffering, family abandonment, and pervasive worry.…”

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

“…Older Finns are the most committed and active members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF); nearly 80% of Finns age 65 and over and almost 90% of people older than 80 are members of ELCF (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland, 2020). Older people link religion and belonging, as practicing religion alleviates loneliness among the elderly (Wijesiri et al, 2019). As death approaches, the importance of religiosity varies from individual to individual; some find comfort in traditional Lutheran practices, whereas others turn to more personally constructed lived religion or individually meaningful spirituality (Saarelainen et al, 2020a, b).…”

Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions of Loneliness amongst Older Adults: A Qualitative Study

“…Despite the significant impact of loneliness on older adults, the difficulty in identifying this problem remains an obstacle for healthcare professionals to take measures [27,28]. In relation to this, different studies have tried to find out the role of loneliness in both institutionalised and community-dwelling older adults [7,[29][30][31][32][33][34], comprehend healthcare professionals' experience on older adults' isolation [28] and evaluate strategies to reduce loneliness in older adults [35,36]. However, more research focusing on understanding healthcare professionals' perceptions of the phenomenon of loneliness in older adults is needed [28,37,38] since evidence suggests that healthcare professionals receive insufficient training to address this important issue [37,39,40].…”