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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Assessing social isolation
— pilot testing different methods | | Author(s) | Harry Owen Taylor, Stephanie Herbers, Samuel Talisman, Nancy Morrow-Howell |
| Journal title | Journal of Gerontological Social Work, vol 59, no 3, April 2016 |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis, April 2016 |
| Pages | pp 228-233 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Isolation ; Loneliness ; Personal relationships ; Sheltered housing ; Independent housing ; Evaluation ; Methodology ; Pilot ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Social isolation is a significant public health problem among many older adults. However, most of the empirical knowledge about isolation derives from community-based samples; and less attention has been given to isolation in older people's housing communities. This pilot study carried out in St Louis, Missouri tested two methods to identify socially isolated residents in low-income senior housing, and to compare findings about the extent of isolation from these two methods. The first method, self-report by residents, included 47 out of 135 residents who completed in-person interviews. To determine self-report isolation, residents completed the Lubben Social Network Scale 6 (LSNS-6). The second method involved a staff member who reported the extent of isolation on all 135 residents via an online survey. Results indicate that 26% of residents who were interviewed were deemed socially isolated by the LSNS-6. Staff members rated 12% of residents as having some or a lot of isolation. In comparing the two methods, staff members rated 2% of interviewed residents as having a lot of isolation. The combination of self-report and staff report could be more informative than just self-report alone, particularly when participation rates are low. However, researchers should be aware of the potential discrepancy between these two methods. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-161125215 A |
| Classmark | TP: DV: DS: KLA: KL: 4C: 3D: 4UC: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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