A new report from the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) shows a large portion of the population is socially isolated and feels lonely.
The report, Understanding the Factors Driving the Epidemic of Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older Canadians, found 58 per cent of Canadians 50 and older have experienced loneliness, while 40 per cent are socially isolated.
However, loneliness and social isolation are not the same thing, experts say.
“Social isolation is more of an objective state of having lack of social contact,” said University of Manitoba professor and ageing researcher Verena Menec.
“Loneliness is a feeling. It’s a feeling of being disconnected. So people can be socially isolated but not lonely.”
Menec says high rates of loneliness among older adults is not a new phenomenon, but one that’s become more visible in the past few years.
“We know social isolation and loneliness have been a problem for a long time. It got worse during the pandemic,” she said.
The report lists a number of factors that can affect a person’s feelings of loneliness, including connection to family, education, socio-economic status, and the ability to live independently.
The report also found that while men and women experience about the same amount of social isolation, women were more likely to feel lonely than men. Seniors 80 and up were less lonely than their 50-to-79-year-old counterparts, but the report acknowledges that despite this, loneliness and isolation “remain significant problems among older adults living in Canada, regardless of age.”
“Maybe there is a person delivering a meal to the to the door, which might be their only contact. So they’re profoundly isolated,” said Menec. “And as we can all imagine, that has a major impact on the health and well-being.”
Loneliness and isolation have been found to increase the risk of developing dementia and a number of other physical and mental health conditions. A U.S. report on loneliness from the surgeon general’s advisory found that loneliness increased the risk of premature death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
And Menec says it’s not just seniors who are at risk.
“I think it’s a reflection of our lifestyles. Isolation in terms of perhaps technology, that lack of contact. The social groups are just not as tight anymore,” she said.
The NIA report recommends government action, like a national ageing strategy to address the issue — something other countries like Japan and the UK have already done. The report also recommends making sure communities and policies are created with seniors’ needs in mind.
“We need to reduce those barriers, make communities more age friendly, and that will help with social isolation and loneliness,” Menec said.
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