We have been striving for is a society of individualists, a society where it is safe to be yourself. Our ideals have an independent individual with the full freedom of expression. The question arises as to whether it has turned out the way we wanted to. Sweden today has the highest number of single-person households in the world. One in ten american will eat anti-depressant drugs, and was the fifth to die alone. Involuntary loneliness is a widespread problem among many older people, something that is particularly evident in the context of the major holidays such as christmas and new year’s eve.
According to the National opinion poll ”What is your opinion of the elderly on the care of the elderly?” (In 2019) report, six of the top ten, they are experiencing problems with alcoholism and drug addiction-and this in spite of the efforts of the municipal care for the elderly. In our individualistic society that has created a downward spiral that leads to needless suffering for older people and their families. To add unnecessary costs to the public.
the Link between having an adequate social network, and health are clear. Otherwise, loneliness increases the risk of a general sjukdomsupplevelse, depression, and suicide. There is also evidence of an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (cvd) and dementia. We human beings are social creatures who need each other in order to activity, participation and health, during the whole of the livsloppet.
it has been given more attention in the media over the last couple of years. It is a positive thing, especially when it comes to reducing the stigma and feelings of guilt, which eliminate the loneliness often associated with it. However, there is a lack of systematic prevention efforts. The national board of health’s report ‘ Follow-up of the health and social care for mental ill-health among the elderly” (2019) shows that the anti-psychotic drugs and psychiatric drugs are prescribed to a greater degree for the older than for the younger age group. There is evidence that older people, in some cases, only be treated with the help of the medicinal product, despite the fact that there is a need for other approaches.
It is high time that we use the knowledge we have. Just as obviously, the way in which we provide support to older people in terms of their physical needs, we also need to include the need for social support. The primary care physical activity prescription for a well-established for several years. Now is the time to create a similar national model of social activity.
In the united kingdom, offers since many years a social activity in a prescription that includes the elderly people with a person-centred support, to find clubs, associations and voluntary activities, which create social connections. This method has been proven to be a cost-effective, have a reduced older people’s mental health and is being implemented now on a wide scale across the whole of the Uk.
it is made in Sweden. In one of the health centers in Umeå and is designed in collaboration with researchers at Umeå university in a method to match that of the lonely, the elderly with a wide range of activities in the surrounding area. In the first vårdkontakten ask the staff about smoking, diet and physical activity, and will add a case of involuntary solitude. It’s a dramatic way to highlight a difficult issue, and to identify those in need of support.
the Key to the success of the prescription of the social life of the prescription, however, is to find out what is meaningful to each individual. It is not sufficient to provide a daily activities such as bingo once a week. With a wide range of social activities that need to be made available. For some, it may be useful to be able to go to a place or organised venue. For another, it is important that someone is home and has the time to sit down and talk to them. For a third, it might be that the have supported the use of social media to be, in spite of the long distances, and be able to communicate with the grandkids via their mobile device or tablet.
in Order to be able to offer a good level of support is needed, a careful examination of the things that are important to the person how they would like to participate in the community and what they have to the interests of the community. All of the professionals in the team work is important in the prevention of mental ill-health in old age, but when it comes to identifying what are meaningful social activities are the association of occupational therapists ‘ expertise, and the tools are of particular importance. We will miss our target unless we have either to provide the social activities, for a quick routine check-up. There needs to be a self-aware and knowledge-based investment.
elderly involuntary loneliness is not something that can be resolved only by the Swedish association of local authorities and regions. This requires close co-operation with all organisations and stakeholders in the field of both civil society and the private business sector and public authorities, as Folkhälsomyndigheten, the participation, and the national Board of health. In view of the demographic challenges we are faced with the need of older people’s mental health to be a cross-cutting issue.
Research shows that involuntary loneliness is a major risk factor for premature death as smoking is a greater risk factor than obesity and physical inactivity. We need to become more efficient in the use of the knowledge that we have of a systematic disease prevention. We believe, therefore, that:
There needs to be a strengthening of collaboration between health care, social services, civil society and the business sector when it comes to prevention and intervention in order to reduce the unwanted loneliness in the elderly.
as a national focus for the development and evaluation of interventions to reduce involuntary solitude in which the social activity on prescription is an example of this.
There is a need for a national centre of excellence on mental health of older people, which can co-ordinate this knowledge and to contribute to the further development and implementation in the field.
as Of the August 2019, Anna Nergårdh, the government’s special investigator to close health care, as a supplementary directive to investigate the possibilities for a new kind of urgency, and the effectiveness of interventions in primary health care for individuals with light mental health issues.
it is assumed that in this case, to include the whole of the livsloppet, and thus can suggest action, which can reduce older people’s involuntary loneliness and the strengthening of older people’s mental health. When we are able to create better conditions for more and more elderly people will be able to experience a christmas and new year’s eve with a fellowship and social get-togethers.
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