Elderly Population Loneliness Problem

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Information Search Critique Paper
Three Practice Recommendations
Summary
References

Introduction

Ageism is the natural course of getting old. All living human beings get old after a certain number of years. There are a lot of changes that accompany aging, such as body, appearance, conduct, health, and approach. Ironically, ageism is associated with various biases and inequalities in society as well as the business world.

Due to the incessant innovations in science and technology, life has become very fast, and the human race has become so busy that people don’t have time for anything else other than earning money and sustaining the global competition. In such circumstances, the elderly people, who don’t earn, are left in solitude. The society also doesn’t care for them because they are of no assistance.

This paper consists of four major segments. The first segment consists of the standard research headings such as the research question, problem statement, purpose statement, and hypothesis.

The second segment consists of a question, based on PICO, an acronym used in evidence-based practice. PICO stands for patient population or patient condition of interest (P), the intervention of interest (I), comparison of interest (C), and outcome of interest (O). The third segment is the literature review, and the fourth segment recommends three practices based on the reviewed literature.

Research question: In socially isolated older people, does social networking alleviate loneliness compared to social disengagement?

Problem statement: I would like to investigate the problem of loneliness among the elderly population and how it can be alleviated. Without proper intervention, loneliness tends to lead to other secondary health problems.

Purpose statement: This study aims to determine if the social engagement can alleviate the problem of loneliness among the elderly population.

Hypothesis: There is a positive outcome in engaging the elderly in social activities and alleviation of loneliness among the elderly population.

Independent variable: The independent variable in this study is Social engagement/social activity. This implies that the investigation will be grounded on how social engagement, the independent variable, triggers an effect on the loneliness, the dependent variable.

Dependent variable: The dependent variable is loneliness.

Information Search Critique Paper

General Article

The general article that I will talk about is titled ‘Million elderly people are lonely.’ No online research was required for this article because it was available on BBC News on 31^st October 2008. The article stressed the role of social networks in helping to alleviate loneliness and isolation for senior citizens.

The fact that British Broadcasting Corporation is the financer of this report is an indication that any form of bias is as limited as possible. This is because the organization does not have direct benefits from social networking that the report recommends for the elderly. Baltes and Mayer (2001) observe that social media has affected the mass media’s profitability. The fact that this corporation is supporting the use of social networking for the elderly confirms that this report holds some truth.

I strongly believe that this report is of high quality. Schmidt and Brown (2012) note that the credibility of an article can be determined by analyzing the source of information. The article has been sponsored by a reputable organization, which has a responsibility to provide credible information to the public.

This organization can be held responsible for any information that is released to the public, and therefore, such reports are always thoroughly scrutinized by several editors. Scholarly articles have been used in the report, which enhances its validity. As Glicken (2009) observes, credible reports should always be supported by other scholarly researches, which have been done empirically by other scholars.

Scholarly Articles

The first scholarly article that will be discussed is Loneliness and Health-Related Quality of Life for the Empty Nest Elderly in the Rural Area of a Mountainous County in China, which was published in ‘Quality of Life Research’ in 2010.

Two Chinese scholars, Liu Li-Juan and Guo Qiang, wrote this article. Liu Juan is a community health worker who has been working with the elderly in various cities in China. This author is, therefore, credible enough to write this report. Guo Qiang is a psychologist who has worked in several health institutions in Shanghai, China. The two authors have had several years of experience in dealing with the elderly, especially addressing the issue of their loneliness.

This article was funded by these two authors and was published by Springer. Both the scholars have been working with the elderly for some time, and their decision to write this article and fund it means that they had a conviction that this information was necessary. This means that this article presents no form of bias. The concern of these two individuals was to find the best way of dealing with loneliness among the elderly, and how they could be engaged positively as a way of keeping them away from stress.

The quality of the information presented in this scholarly article is of a high standard. According to Murero and Rice (2013), the best way of determining the quality of a report is to understand the authors of the report. This is because a report can only be valid if the author has authority in that particular field. The two authors of this report have spent years working directly with the elderly on various issues, including the issue of loneliness and some of the consequences that accompany it.

They have also spent time with the elderly and other stakeholders in trying to find the best ways of solving this issue. According to Schmidt and Brown (2012), primary sources of information are always important because the researcher gets to understand the issue under investigation on the first-hand basis.

This means that this report is based on first-hand research; hence, its quality is very high. The fact that these two scholars have had the opportunity to deal directly with the elderly and considering their rich academic backgrounds, the report seems to be valid.

The second scholarly article that will be discussed is ‘The Social Context of Disablement among Older Adults: Does Marital Quality Matter for Loneliness?’ which was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior in 2012.

David Warner and Jessica Kelley-Moore are the authors of this article. The two scholars are research assistants at Case Western Reserve University in the department of sociology. They both hold doctorate degrees in relevant fields and have taught for several years. The two are currently working on several projects related to loneliness among the aging population. They are known for their astute skills in research, and this has made this university trust them with this research.

Case Western Reserve University has fully funded this research. According to Phellas (2012), research funded by various organizations should always be scrutinized for possible bias because such an organization could be having personal interests to be achieved by that particular research. Case Western Reserve University has no particular interests that would benefit it unfairly when this report is published. I, therefore, believe that this does not present any bias in the report.

The impression I have in the quality of this report is that it does give the basics on how loneliness can be handled among the elderly, including the use of social engagement. The years these two scholars have taken teaching in this, and other related fields make the quality of the report good.

The information in this report is valid based on the empirical research that the two scholars conducted. Djurup (2010) says that the quality secondary sources of evidence given in a report can help determine its validity. These scholars used reliable secondary sources. The fact that this article is peer-reviewed further enhances its validity (Lewin, 2009).

General Websites

The title of the first general website that I will discuss is ‘The Elder Loneliness Epidemic: The caregiver’s survival guide: Family caring for family.’ Anne-Marie Botek is the author of the information on this website. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in marketing.

However, she has spent a lot of time with the elderly, especially trying to engage them in physical fitness as one of the best ways to spend their time. This makes her a credible source of this information despite her academic specialization. She is also the editor in chief of this online organization.

This article has been fully funded by AgingCare.com, an online organization that seeks to offer a guide to the elderly and those offering care to them on the best practices in this field. This website has other products it is selling to the elderly, and families and other caregivers of the elderly. It is, therefore, possible that most of their publications would be focused on how to market their products, making it possible that they can be biased. However, this particular topic does not relate to any of their products or advertisements in any way. This makes me feel that there is no bias in this article.

The quality of the information presented in this website is just enough to focus some light into this field but from a different perspective. According to Fitzpatrick and Montgomery (2010), people with a sound academic background in that field would always give a quality report. This is because they understand the theoretical and conceptual frameworks relevant to the field. However, Lewis (2010) says that years of experience can enable a person to have a commanding knowledge in that particular field.

The experience that Ann-Marie Botek has gained as a trainer of the elderly gives her the capacity to deliver credible information. When talking about general search strategies, Schmidt and Brown (2012) talk to identify the appropriate sources based on the credentials of the authors. In this research, the experience of Ms. Botek helps in giving a different perspective to this research. Given that she is a physical trainer of the elderly, she knows the benefits of physical training in fighting loneliness.

The second general website that I will discuss is ‘Aging Population: How to tackle the loneliness among older people? Take the children to visit’. Andrew Harrop is the author of this article. He is the current director of Age Concern Group, a non-governmental agency that seeks to address issues concerning the age. Harrop has taken several years working in this field, and the information he has given on this article was based on the realities he met while working with the elderly.

The Guardian Newspaper is the sole financier of this site. The owners of this newspaper could have personal interests over the issue that this may influence the kind of report they give that may constitute bias (Norman, 2008). However, two factors will put this bias under check hence makes me trust the source.

The first factor is that the author is a human rights activist who has been vocal on the need to protect the aging. This means that he would not allow the editors to distort his message. The second factor is that this topic does not raise any direct benefit to this firm, and therefore, the need to distort this information is limited.

The Guardian is one of the leading newspapers in the world, and its editors always believe in the delivery information in a quality manner. Before its publication, this document must have gone through a rigorous review by the editors. Schmidt and Brown (2012) note that synopsis can help determine the quality of research. The synopsis given in this article demonstrates that the author has a great understanding of the topic under research.

The author of this report has also taken time to engage with the elderly through his organization, enabling him to give the true picture of the current state of affairs, and the possible move to address the issues. As MacDonald (2012) observes, it is important to engage all the stakeholders while addressing a particular issue. The author is part of the financiers of various activities for the elderly.

Scholarly Websites

The title of the first scholarly website that I will discuss is ‘Preventing loneliness and social isolation among older people.’ Social Care Institute for Excellence published this information. This is a credible institution. It has been offering training in various fields, including vocational training on how to manage the elderly (Lewinsy, 2009).

Social Care Institute for Excellence funds the article and the site. This may present bias because the organization may attempt to convince the public that its services are the best in the market. However, this distortion would be limited by the fact that the topic raises a lot of interest to the public, and any misinformation can be treated with contempt.

The source of this information is a learning institution. This means that it is based on research conducted by specific scholars. I believe that this makes this research trustworthy in terms of the authority it has in this field.

The summary of this article shows that the researcher had deep knowledge of the issue under investigation, as explained by Schmidt and Brown (2012). As McKenzie (2009) observes, empirical research always yields valid results if they are conducted with people of integrity who understand what it takes to research in the right manner.

The title of the second scholarly website that I will discuss is ‘Loneliness, depression, and sociability in old age.’ Archana Sing and Nishi Misra are the authors of this information. These two are scholars who have spent years of research at the UN National Institute of Health.

US National Institute of Health funds this site through the US National Library of Medicine. The source of funding may influence some form of bias, especially when the government is intending to influence a given lifestyle among the elderly.

I believe that the quality of this information and its validity is high because the public knows this organization for its commitment, including the aging population, in providing reliable information. Schmidt and Brown (2012) have stated the importance of Meta-analysis in the field of medicine, and this research has followed this guideline.

Evidence-based Practice Source

‘Psychotherapeutic treatments for older depressed people’ is the topic of the evidence-based practice source. Wilson, Mottram, and Vassilas are the authors of this information. They are scholars who have published various books of psychology and related field. John Wiley & Sons Limited funds this site as part of its online library. John Wiley & Sons is a large publishing firm, and given its reputation, the fact that it funds this site presents no bias.

Schmidt and Brown (2012) have described Cochrane Library as one of the most trusted online libraries in the field of medicine. Articles published on this website always go through a rigorous review before they are made available to online users. As Lake (2007) observes, one way of obtaining valid online resources is to determine the authority that the site commands in a particular field. Cochrane Library commands a lot of respect in this field, a fact that confirms the validity of this report.

Three Practice Recommendations

To try and strengthen the quality of relationships between the elderly and their spouses as well as with their children.
To enhance social networking, through the establishment of support groups that can easily offer the required level of companionship.
To ensure constant monitoring of the wellbeing of the elderly, a community-based health worker can be tasked with making regular home visits to select vulnerable individuals.

Practice Recommendations’ Supporting Literature

Quality and quantity: the role of social interactions in individual health by Fiorillo and Sabatini identifies the loss of a spouse and the moving away of children as causes of loneliness (Fiorillo & Sabatini, 2011). In most cases, the elderly normally find themselves abandoned, neglected, or simply become lonely after their children move away, a factor that greatly contributes to their loneliness. This is especially true for elderly persons who also happen to be widows/widowers. Also, helping to rekindle family relationships can lead to the creation of lifelong relationships and support systems.

Preventing loneliness and social isolation: interventions and outcomes, an article by Windle, Francis, and Coomber suggests that by eliminating the risk of loneliness among the elderly, the system will also reduce the number of senior citizens in need of medical attention due to conditions that co-occur with loneliness. Furthermore, social networking events or support groups would cost considerably less to organize compared to any medical costs (Windle et al., 2011).

According to Preventive home visits to older people are cost-effective, an article by Sahlen, Lofgren, Helllner, &. Lindholm, research findings on the cost effectiveness of home visits by nurses are quite encouraging (Sahlen et al., 2008). Such visits, in addition to allowing for the assessment of their state of mind, would also allow for the assessment of the quality of relationships that such individuals are engaged in.

GRADE Ranking

The GRADE approach will be utilized to gauge the value and likely effectiveness of the recommendations made. With the help of this method, the recommendations can be categorized as strong/weak, depending on various factors.

Furthermore, the system classifies evidence provided as high, moderate or low (Grades A, B, and C respectively), depending on the consistency of the results, the precision of estimates, the risk of bias and the directness of the evidence provided (Schmidt & Brown, 2012). Based on the findings, when a tradeoff between the risks and benefits is made, a recommendation can then be considered for implementation as an intervention.

Summary

If the loneliness of the elderly people can be alleviated, most of their physical and mental problems will be minimized. This study has come up with some solutions to alleviate such loneliness. Social engagement is one such aspect that can be helpful. There have been various instances where social engagement has brought relief to elderly people.

Disability is one of the prime reasons of loneliness of the elderly. Disabled elderly people cannot earn and have to depend on their children for sustenance. Regular home visits by nurses can help the elderly in getting some relief. To conclude, we all can contribute our bit towards the alleviation of the elderly people’s loneliness.

References

Baltes, P. B., & Mayer, K. U. (2001). The Berlin aging study: Aging from 70 to 100; a research project of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Djurup, R. (2010). Your guide to Google Web search: How to find the information you need on the Internet. Boston: Rebidu.

Fiorillo, D., & Sabatini, F. (2011). Quality and quantity: the role of social interactions in individual health. Social Science and Medicine, 73, 1644-1652.

Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Montgomery, K. S. (2010). Internet for nursing research: A guide to strategies, skills, and resources. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Glicken, M. D. (2009). Evidence-based counseling and psychotherapy for an aging population. Amsterdam: Academic Press.

Lake, J. (2007). Textbook of integrative mental health care. New York: Thieme.

Lewin, D. (2009). Consumer health informatics: Informing consumers and improving health care. New York: Springer.

Lewinsy, J. (2009). Loneliness among the elderly. New York: Springer.

Lewis, D. (2010). Consumer health informatics: Informing consumers and improving health care. New York: Springer.

MacDonald, P. D. M. (2012). Methods in field epidemiology. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

McKenzie, B. C. (2009). Medicine and the Internet: the essential guide for doctors. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Murero, M., & Rice, R. (2013). The Internet and Health Care: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Springer.

Phellas, C. (2012). Aging in European Societies: Healthy Aging in Europe: Aging in European Societies. Berlin: Springer.

Sahlen, K., Lofgren, B., Helllner, M., & Lindholm, L. (2008). Preventive home visits to older people are cost-effective. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 36(3), 265-271.

Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2012). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Windle, K., Francis, J., & Coomber, C. (2011). Preventing loneliness and social isolation: Interventions and outcomes – Research Briefing 39. Web.

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