Lonely in a crowd: loneliness in New Zealand retirement village residents

Abstract

Objectives: The number of older people choosing to relocate to retirement villages (RVs) is increasing rapidly. This choice is often a way to decrease social isolation while still living independently. Loneliness is a significant health issue and contributes to overall frailty, yet RV resident loneliness is poorly understood. Our aim is to describe the prevalence of loneliness and associated factors in a New Zealand RV population. Design: A resident survey was used to collect demographics, social engagement, loneliness, and function, as well as a comprehensive geriatric assessment (international Resident Assessment Instrument [interRAI]) as part of the “Older People in Retirement Villages Study.” Setting: RVs, Auckland, New Zealand. Participants: Participants included RV residents living in 33 RVs (n = 578). Measurements: Two types of recruitment: randomly sampled cohort (n = 217) and volunteer sample (n = 361). Independently associated factors for loneliness were determined through multiple logistic regression with odds ratios (ORs). Results: Of the participants, 420 (72.7%) were female, 353 (61.1%) lived alone, with the mean age of 81.3 years. InterRAI assessment loneliness (yes/no question) was 25.8% (n = 149), and the resident survey found that 37.4% (n = 216) feel lonely sometimes/often/always. Factors independently associated with interRAI loneliness included being widowed (adjusted OR 8.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.15–16.48), being divorced/separated/never married (OR 4.76; 95% CI 2.15–10.54), poor/fair quality of life (OR 3.37; 95% CI 1.43–7.94), moving to an RV to gain more social connections (OR 1.55; 95% CI 0.99–2.43), and depression risk (medium risk: OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.53–4.35; high risk: OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.47–11.95). Conclusion: A considerable proportion of older people living in RVs reported feelings of loneliness, particularly those who were without partners, at risk of depression and decreased quality of life and those who had moved into RVs to increase social connections. Early identification of factors for loneliness in RV residents could support interventions to improve quality of life and positively impact RV resident health and well-being.

Planning, Aging, and Loneliness: Reviewing Evidence About Built Environment Effects

“…Age-specific Housing and Type of Dwelling. Among the many studies about age-specific housing such as retirement communities, assisted living, sheltered housing, or age care hostels, a limited number have examined loneliness (e.g., Boyd et al 2020;Gray and Worlledge 2018). Only a few have compared levels of loneliness among residents in age-specific housing and other housing types with mixed results.…”

Health profile of residents of retirement villages in Auckland, New Zealand: findings from a cross-sectional survey with health assessment

“…95% report having a supportive family, 13% of residents had a pet, and 10% often/always felt lonely. 26 Participation in social activities and contact with family was frequent, with 91% going out of the unit/apartment daily and over 81% participating in social activities in the past 3 days, but 6% reported they had no such social contact within the last 3 days.…”

The prevalence and intensity of pain in older people living in retirement villages in Auckland, New Zealand

“…shown that despite lack of geographical isolation, many residents in the current study report loneliness constantly or frequently (Boyd et al, 2020). Current reports suggest levels of pain in communitydwelling older adults living in their own homes experience similar levels of pain (around 12% with severe or excruciating pain) to those in villages (interRAI New Zealand et al, 2020).…”