Reducing social isolation and loneliness among older people

Elderly isolation has been highlighted through confinement. Even with reduced measures, keeping social bonds during crises is crucial. Here are ways to help loved ones and strangers feel less lonely.

Since seniors are more likely to die from COVID-19, confining them longer appears rational, but the collateral effects cannot be ignored.

Brené Brown, an American scholar, says our need for interaction is neurobiology, not an emotion. We are evolved to interact, and isolation can injure us mentally and physically. “If we don't have anyone to share our life with, it can be difficult to find meaning in it,” says Caroline Sauriol, general director of Les Petits Frères, which has fought isolation of Quebec's 75-year-olds for almost 60 years.

According to psychologist Marie-Claude Boulet, even simple questions like “How are you?” or “What can I do?” are beneficial. For emotional support, we call or write to learn their news. We avoid limiting the debate to the crisis. “Of course, it will be about Covid, but be careful to keep your speech reassuring, not to fall into sensationalism and talk about other things,” suggests Ms Boulet.

We prefer videoconferencing. “The video shows the other person smiling. The psychologist thinks the mirror effect feels fantastic. You can also feel like you're experiencing regular life by eating together or learning about the kids' accomplishments.

If our loved one is in a CHSLD, we ask management about communication options.

Practical support is possible. Confined individuals have fewer services. We learn their needs. We can grocery shop, do administrative work, or mow. These modest acts will brighten the recipient's day and benefit the giver.

Besides providing well-being, frequent contact with our senior loved ones lets us know about their physical and mental health: "We can notice prospective difficulties. We guard them, says Ms. Boulet.

Some persons with a small social circle visited the café daily to combat loneliness before incarceration. “Given the current situation, these strategies no longer work, and these people risk losing hope and self-esteem,” says Petits Frères' Caroline Sauriol.

Since the crisis began, the organisation called its 1,700 great friends—the people who use their services—twice a week to keep them safe. With his telephone squad programme, he expanded to Quebecers 75 and older. At least 20 minutes are spent on calls with the same volunteer to establish continuity. The organisation recruits 2,000 volunteers from 11 Quebec districts and partners with other organisations to locate as many isolated seniors as possible.

Several smaller projects to combat senior isolation have developed in recent months. For instance, two sisters aged 10 and 12 lead the Facebook initiative Portraits and words of our Elders, which collects senior testimonies via virtual meetings and publishes them.

Thousands enrolled on jebenevole.ca, a twinning platform between organisations and volunteers, while others helped their neighbours, like Geneviève Despatie: “I do the grocery shopping for my 80-year-old neighbour. I get her requests via SMS. We chat before and after races. We get to know each other because we didn't before the crisis, adds the Montrealer.

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