Introduction
Social Workers Use Many Creative and Resourceful Techniques to Combat Loneliness. These including daily reassurance calls; dance, yoga, art, and letter writing. Scientific literature is beginning to be published on the effectiveness of 19 techniques employed by social workers to alleviate loneliness that I list below. Many of the traditional strategies for engaging older adults became obsolete in the “new normal.” Furthermore, it is not just older adults who are suffering. For example, college dorm life was closed; extended families and friends not living in the same house were advised to stay home and away from one another. For those who live alone, going weeks to months without any human touch can lead to “failure to thrive.” Places of worship have been closed, and many cherished rituals were suspended for the foreseeable future (e.g. Communion, greeting friends by shaking hands or hugging.) Some buildings were not designed to accommodate social distancing. Even though many of these restrictions have been removed, People are not returning to their former gathering places in numbers seen before the pandemic. Rates of loneliness remain high.
Social workers have been leaders in developing creative and resourceful techniques to stay connected to older adult clients, patients, friends, and families. They are focusing on supportive efforts to stay connected with others to allay loneliness and social isolation. It may be some time before the following suggested interventions are deemed effective by scientific standards. Nevertheless, given the urgency of the loneliness epidemic, made worse by COVID-19, they are listed below.
List of Interventions
- In-person activities and contacts are being facilitated virtually through individual devices, videoconferencing;
- Virtual reality is being employed;
- Daily telephone reassurance calls;
- Phone and video prevention education;
- Home delivery services;
- Virtual and phone health care visits;
- Increasing laughter;
- Mindfulness;
- Meditation;
- Reminiscence (a therapy that takes participants calmly back in time to recollect when they were ages 10 to 30, when our strongest memories are formed);
- Horticulture therapy;
- Exercise;
- Dancing;
- Yoga;
- Art;
- Therapeutic writing (e.g. writing “Letters to God”);
- Interactive photo sharing;
- Learning assistants;
- Online-based websites for pairing runners and cooks with isolated older adults;
- Multi-party games;
- Use of “Alexa”;
- Use of a variety of health robots
- In development is an app that aims to provide a tool for older people, their families, and peers to improve their wellbeing and health during and after regulated social distancing;
- Change our language from terms of command and control, containment, community mitigation, non-pharmacological interventions, social distancing and waging war. In contrast, use words like: open communication, citizen empowerment, community capacity building, social cohesiveness and ‘winning the peace.’ In Australia, ‘social distancing’ has been officially changed to ‘physical distancing.’
Not Just for Social Workers; for Self-Initiation and Any Caring Person
Social workers use many creative and resourceful techniques to combat loneliness. Utilizing these techniques need not be limited to professionals. Many of of these interventions can be effectively self-initiated, for example increasing laughter, mindfulness, meditation, exercise, dance, yoga, art, therapeutic writing and use of Alexa. In addition, all could be encouraged by any caring and interested person.
The Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) team created an evidence-based group intervention. Circle of Friends© is a group intervention developed at Helsinki University designed to address loneliness and social isolation via weekly sessions over three months that incorporate art and inspiring activities, exercise/health content, and therapeutic writing (14–16). Outcomes indicate decreased loneliness, social isolation, and healthcare costs and increased feelings of well-being (17–18).
References
Berg-Weger, M., Morley, J.E. Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Gerontological Social Work. J Nutr Health Aging (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1366-8.=
John Catford, Health promotion ambulances should focus on loneliness in our pandemic age. Health Promotion International, daaa058, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa058, Published: 15 May 2020.
Department of Health and Human Services (2020). Physical Distancing and Other Transmission Reduction Measures—Coronavirus COVID-19. Melbourne, Australia. https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-transmission-reduction-measures (first posted 21 March 2020, last accessed 8 May 2020).
Meinert E, Milne-Ives M, Surodina S, Lam C. Agile Requirements Engineering and Software Planning for a Digital Health Platform to Engage the Effects of Isolation Caused by Social Distancing: Case Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2020;6(2):e19297. DOI: 10.2196/19297; PMID: 32348293. PMCID: 7205031.
Madeline J. Robertson, J.D., M.D.
Solutions for Reversing the Loneliness Epidemic — Founder, President & CEO at Here With You, Inc.