Britain has been described as in the midst of an ‘epidemic of loneliness’. What factors have brought this about? When considering loneliness many people may equate this as a factor that happens mainly in the later years of life, perhaps the clichéd image of an elderly person living alone may spring to mind (Allen, S. 2012). Loneliness however is not experienced solely by the elderly, the prevalence of loneliness in society is highlighted by Siegler, V (2015) in the report Measuring National Wellbeing, which indicates around one in ten people in the UK describe experiencing chronic loneliness all of the time, with nearly half of those reporting this persistent feeling identifying a feeling of being left out of society. In the report Loneliness; …show more content…
Each; amongst other significant changes in lifestyles, can leave a sudden gap in correlation to the relationship experienced before this change (Ind, J. 2015). This experience of fleeting loneliness is natural and a form of self-preservation as indicated by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) (2013) in Neighbourhood approaches in loneliness, describing it as a “natural appetite, like thirst and hunger, prompting us to take action, to seek company”. Although this form of transient loneliness can be deemed self-preserving, longstanding persistent loneliness is significantly damaging both physically and mentally. Lunstad et al (2010) indicates the effects of suffering from chronic loneliness are comparable with mortality risk factors in smokers and exceed those of obesity. Older people are particularly susceptible to health problems, adding their vulnerability to loneliness the damaging effects of this can have a serious impact on their health (NHS, 2015). When considering an older person there is a presumption their loneliness is simply due to their children leaving, or losing their partner. There is perhaps an acceptance that this is a natural consequence of aging, Kar- Purkayastha, I, (2010) eloquently portrays this phenomenon in the essay, An epidemic of loneliness. Based on the experiences whilst working in a …show more content…
For example being widowed, stopping driving due to age may cause physical isolation, friendships ending due to death or ill health; this can be very difficult for those who previously enjoyed close ties with friend. People whose first language is not English, lower socioeconomic groups and neighborhood changes all of these amongst many other circumstance may bring about difficulties causing social isolation. Yet isolation alone is not necessarily the cause of loneliness, it is the quality of the relationship and connections people make that wards off loneliness (Ageuk, n.d). In other respects however; taking into account this age bracket includes people from the age of fifty five, the factors mentioned above should not be quite as prevalent in their lives as it in those venturing towards final stages of old age. In the report Loneliness, relative deprivation and life satisfaction, the Institute for Physical Studies (n.d) found a correlation between wealth, friendships, loneliness and life satisfaction for people around the age of fifty five. It could be suggested that modern lifestyle and aspirations for retirement leading up to middle age pave the way to this sweeping loneliness in the younger stages of this age bracket. Cooper (2015) indicates this possibility (in Lally, (2015) when discussing the transient nature of people’s lifestyles in modern
Russell (1978), (http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jedp/article/download/46795/25238) established the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scale, which has been widely employed to this day, and performed a theoretical factor analysis for loneliness. His research and results attracted broad attention around the world. Loneliness can be studied by three approaches: the cognitive process approach, the human needs approach and the behavioral approach. The cognitive process approach emphasizes an individual’s mental awareness and assesses his or her social
Nicolaisen, M., & Thorsen, K. (2012). Impairments, mastery, and loneliness. A prospective study of loneliness among older adults. Norsk Epidemiologi, 22(2), 143-150.
In the absence of friends and companions, people begin to ache from loneliness. Loneliness is an unavoidable, fact
L showed a risk for loneliness related to the death of her friends and family in recent years. She spoke many times during the interview about those she had lost recently and things they had done together in the past. To help with this loneliness it may benefit Mrs. L to spend more time with the family she has left, especially her kids and grandkids (Grief: Helping Older Adults With Grief). If they were to take some time out of their lives and do some activities with Mrs. L, even if it is just eating a meal or sitting to talk for a few hours, this may help Mrs. L to not feel as lonely. This intervention would also help Mrs. L because she spoke of in the interview how she often used to talk on the phone with her friends and go out to lunch every month. If her family was willing to do these activities with Mrs. L now, it may fill some of the gap she has in her life. To combat her loneliness, Mrs. L could also get a small pet or plant to take care of and have around. It is thought that having something like these around help older adults to “. . . remain engaged socially, have less depression, suffer less loneliness. . . gives a reason to get up in the morning. . .” (Anderson). By having a pet or plant to take care of. Mrs. L would have something to look forward to and know that there is at least one thing in the world that depends on her and craves her
Gerontology provides different perspectives of the aging process and the evidence base from which health and social care practice with the older population is founded. Older people are affected differently by the ageing process. The disengagement theory provides a greater insight into why some older people withdraw from the society. According to the disengagement theory perspective, successful ageing is best achieved through abandoning social roles and relationships and by the individual reducing both activities and involvement. Disengaging from social activities and involvement put the older person at risk of being socially excluded. Social exclusion affects older people, although the risk increases with
Several studies also asserted that loneliness is correlated with aging itself (Tijhuis et al, 1999; Victor et al, 2000) and that there was a gradual increase in loneliness up to the age of 90 (Holmen, 1992). This increasing trend can be attributed to interactions with other factors due to additive nature of risk factors for loneliness and social isolation (Victor et al, 2000).
Teens’ feelings of loneliness spiked in 2013 and have remained high since”(page 64). She has a Ph.D. in psychology which helped her establish Ethos. Twenge then collects data and performs interviews in order to form logos. She then appeals to human emotions by explaining how smartphones can drive families apart and cause mental illness in teenagers.
Disengagement theory is useful and relevant in understanding the social world of older people. However, the theory is contradicted by empirical evidence that revealed high levels of activity and engagement amongst many older people. (Johnson & Barer, 1992) suggest that the idea that older people consider withdrawing from social roles and interactions from the society a positive step is preposterous. They carried a study to determine social adaptation among 150 individuals, 85 years and older. The sample was selected from municipal voting rolls on the US using a snowball technique. Data were collected through in-depth open ended structured interviews in the respondents’ homes. Health and functioning were evaluated by the OARS measures of perceived
The first influential factor to the atrophy of social life that Eitzen writes about is moving away. Americans nowadays are always on the go – if moving is the most convenient idea, they will move with no regard to formed relationships that will soon be broken. People are often forced to move in order to follow a job or because of problems within the family. Constantly moving about causes a decline in intimate relationships. This is also true in people who live alone. The lack of regular and reliable social interaction can lead to a less sociable personality and less motivation to form real relationships. Real relationships are what lead to a healthy social life.
Stephen Marche Lets us know that loneliness is “not a state of being alone”, which he describes as external conditions rather than a psychological state. He states that “Solitude can be lovely. Crowded parties can be agony.”
In of mice and men there is a lot of example of loneliness and a lot of negative effects.
Loneliness is a terrifying feeling that never escapes our lives. When I was younger, my largest fear in life was that I would make no friends and would be lonely. As I grew older, the fear shifted to dying alone. Now that I take steps back to look at this I realized everything I have missed, everything I have misunderstood. I am finally strong enough to understand that loneliness is inescapable, it lives with you all through your life. Life is a lonely place, where even if you are lucky enough to have people around you, all you have to look forward to is losing them either through going separate ways or death.
In life people are be alone by choice, no matter if it was flat out what the wanted or alone due to some kind of forced circumstance that grew out of a previous choice they made, but when it comes down to it loneliness is never truly desired. In the short stories A Painful Case and Eveline we see examples of each type of loneliness. In A Painful Case Mr. Duffy for the most part of his life chooses to be alone. In Eveline, Eveline seems to be lonely because she’s unable to leave her duties to her family. In both stories the main characters display their desire to have someone near but when they’re finally given the chance it’s inevitably taken away from them, and then they’re driven back into the entrapment of loneliness.
There is a relationship between old age and late life loneliness; whether is perceived or actual is irrelevant, as society views elderly people differently
While being social has many benefits to the health of a person, it can have a negative effect if there is any financial stress, increased burdens, or ailing family member or partner (Annear et al., 2012). Caring for others as an elderly person can have both negative and positive effects while providing companionship and a sense of purpose, it can also make the elderly carers life more stressful and can sometimes make the carer feel emotionally isolated (Annear et al., 2012). Joining social groups will get encourage participation and interaction with other members of their social group; this will help in minimising the potential for social isolation and detachment. Barriers to having an active social health are living in rural or remote areas, long distances to services and social networks. It is important for elderly people to feel they still have some form of connection with their friends and family and feel that are still connect to