Sand Dunes, Manitoba

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Research on Aging

The Experience of Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Men in Manitoba, January 2003, by Madelyn Hall, Betty Haven, and Gina Sylvestre, Aging in Manitoba Study, University of Manitoba.

Social Isolation and Loneliness

Being alone and being lonely are not the same. The term "social isolation" is not a matter of numbers:  it is not a matter of how many people an older individual is in regular contact with (which is what a lot of the gerontology research tends to focus on). Instead social isolation tends to refer to a lack of meaningful relationships.

Some older adults have been loners all their lives, and by personality, inclination or experience may prefer it that way. Others may have lost their social skills over time. For many older widowers, their wife was their main relationship and their "social connector" and when she died, those other ties that she sustained became lost too.

Researchers in Manitoba published a report looking at social isolation and older men The researchers looked at the findings from a provincial longitudinal survey on aging and asked service providers and seniors in focus groups about their experiences and ideas about social isolation. Here are some highlights from the Manitoba report:

• Service providers note that older men who do not talk about their feelings may isolate themselves, they may push people away with unhealthy coping strategies such as alcohol use and "distasteful behavior".

• Widowed men may resist accepting Meals-on-Wheels services because it still means that they eat alone. It was also suggested by the service providers that older widowed men don't maintain self-care practices such as taking medications. In addition, men's coping strategies are often times unhealthy: loneliness and depression led some older men to alcohol problems and gambling.

• Social isolation and loneliness can cause other health problems for older men, in addition to depression. The isolated men tended to have 4+ chronic illnesses; tended to rate their health as poor and tended to be less satisfied with their lives.

• Service providers noted that being alone leaves the person with more time to reflect inward and dwell on problems. Without others to monitor a person's health, gradual changes might not be noticed, or the individual may not think to seek medical attention. Also, being alone may make one more resistant to change, as there is no one to make suggestions or share ideas, and no opportunity to observe what steps others are taking relative to health.

• The study found that the degree to which an older man feels lonely is influenced by widowhood, poor life satisfaction, chronic illnesses and feeling that older adults don't get much respect (negative perceptions of the treatment that seniors receive).

• In addition, factors that lead to limited social contacts for older men, included lack of participation in leisure activities and vision problems. The researchers found that older men who were older (80+), widowed and living alone were the men mostly likely to be isolated and lonely.

• The socially isolated older men were also less satisfied with life and had fewer visits from friends and family, and they also participated in fewer social activities. Poor health increased the mens' levels of loneliness, while loneliness negatively affected their health both in the short term and over a longer period.

• Older men were particularly vulnerable to isolation and loneliness when they experienced difficulties adjusting to changes in role identity associated with retirement (farmers retiring, in particular may find this transition difficult), as well as to changes in social networks, especially widowhood. The researchers also noted that improvements in social interaction can have a significant impact on the well-being of an older person. The report offers recommendations from service providers and seniors on things that we as individuals and as agencies can do to reduce the social isolation of men.

 Reference