Loneliness in senior housing communities

Abstract

There are many studies on loneliness among community-dwelling older adults; however, there is limited research examining the extent and correlates of loneliness among older adults who reside in senior housing communities. This study examines the extent and correlates of loneliness in three public senior housing communities in the St. Louis area. Data for this project was collected with survey questionnaires with a total sample size of 148 respondents. Loneliness was measured using the Hughes 3-item loneliness scale. Additionally, the questionnaire contained measures on socio-demographics, health/mental health, social engagement, and social support. Missing data for the hierarchical multivariate regression models were imputed using multiple imputation methods. Results showed approximately 30.8% of the sample was not lonely, 42.7% was moderately lonely, and 26.6% was severely lonely. In the multivariate analyses, loneliness was primarily associated with depressive symptoms. Contrary to popular opinion, our study found the prevalence of loneliness was high in senior housing communities. Nevertheless, senior housing communities could be ideal locations for reducing loneliness among older adults. Interventions should focus on concomitantly addressing both an individual's loneliness and mental health.

Older Black Americans During COVID-19: Race and Age Double Jeopardy

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Implementing the Java Music Club in Residential Care: Impact on Cognitive and Psychosocial Health

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It takes (more than) a village

“…A main motivating factor in relocating to a retirement village is social connection (Roy et al, 2018). However, as Boyd and colleagues (2020) found in their assessment of retirement village residents, levels of loneliness in this population remain high, and likely higher than those found in the broader older population (Gray, 2015;Taylor et al, 2018).…”