By: Georgia Afton, MFA, Community Outreach Director, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly

In midst of the busyness of our day-to-day work on behalf of older adults, this presentation offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on an issue that reaches into the very heart of our work. It begs the question: Is elder loneliness and isolation fact, fiction or epidemic? Unpacking the answer, leads us to consider various states of being associated with “being alone,” and how isolation creates a circle of loss. Isolation risk factors along with societal impacts and the COVID-19 factor will weave their way into our discussion. We will also look at questions such as: How can we measure isolation and assess the degree to which it is present in the lives of the elders we work among? What causes elder isolation and what solutions can we call on to remedy it? Your voices matter in this conversation, and we expect lively participation and answers to unfold from our shared expertise and experience as learn from each other.

Presentation Objectives

• To explore and define loneliness and isolation and their impact on older adult health and well-being
• To examine how we can identify loneliness among clients
• To incorporate studies and statistics that illustrate the significant role loneliness and isolation play in the quality of elder life
• To reflect on friendship as an antidote to loneliness and share other ideas and solutions