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Social Isolation of Older People > Factors influencing social isolation
of older people
Factors influencing social isolation of older people
Individual | Social | Community - environmental and cultural
Individual
- Living alone;
- Health status - mental, physical;
- Disability eg hearing impairment;
- Ability to use existing public and/or private transport;
- Being in the workforce;
- Engagement in meaningful activity;
- Resilience - the ability to recover and move on in the face of difficulty;
- Financial status;
- Gender;
- Speaking English;
- Literacy;
- Attitude to and/or knowledge of technology;
- Perception of level of crime/violence in community;
- Willingness to accept help;
- Level of self responsibility/self determination; and
- Attitude to life - positive/negative.
Social
- Loss of relationships through death or divorce;
- Family support;
- Loss of children when they leave home;
- Network of friends;
- Grandparenting;
- Relocation to new community;
- Loss of grandchildren if family moves away or following divorce;
- Being a carer;
- Availability of wide range of opportunities for meaningful social participation
activities:
- social recreational/health promoting/ activities; and
- transport to and from activities; and
- Access to learning and development opportunities.
Community
- Physical isolation:
- area of residence; and
- availability of public transport;
- Local infrastructure for positive and healthy ageing:
- safe and accessible walkways and bikeways;
- Public space available for community members to use;
- Accessibility of public buildings for those with a disability/frailty;
- Range of social and health services needed to meet needs of community;
- Access to information on services;
- Ageism, racism, sexism;
- Norms that stereotype older people; and
- Social Capital - cooperative networks and trust in a community.