This book investigates the relationship between social capital and loneliness of older adults living in urban China during the COVID-19 outbreak period. It also tested the mediation role of community-based cognitive social capital on the relationship between community-based structural social capital and loneliness of older urban Chinese adults. This book targets at a broad audience with knowledge in social gerontology and social work with older adults. It will appeal to academic researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, policymakers, and social workers who have interests in social capital and mental well-being in later life, and the impacts of COVID-19 on the well-being of older adults.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life globally through virus-related mortality and morbidity and the social and economic impacts of actions taken to stop the virus’ spread. It became evident early on during the pandemic that older adults are especially vulnerable to morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, and the adverse consequences of strategies taken to mitigate its effects. While no more likely to become infected than younger populations, the risk for hospitalization and death rises considerably with age. Residents of long-term care facilities have been among the hardest hit. The pandemic has brought many facets of ageism to the fore. Community stay-at-home messages, lockdowns, social distancing requirements, and visitation restrictions contributed to a concomitant epidemic in social isolation and loneliness. Economic and social impacts have been dramatic; so too has been the disproportionate hardship experienced by members of racial and ethnic minority communities. This book reports original empirical research and perspectives on the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the older adult population, and draws lessons for policy, research, and practice. Key issues pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 on older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities are highlighted. Four main areas are examined: personal experiences with COVID-19; long-term care system impacts; end-of-life care; and technology and innovation. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Purpose: This study examined whether social distancing restrictions (SDR) implemented in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic increased loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Methods: Paired sample t-test analysis was performed to measure changes to loneliness and social isolation after SDR. Paired sample t-test was also performed to measure changes in two subsets of loneliness, emotional loneliness and social loneliness. Results: These analyses showed statistically significant increases in both loneliness and social isolation after implementation of SDR. Analysis also indicated statistically significant increases in both emotional loneliness and social loneliness Discussion and Implications: The results show that while both loneliness and social isolation increased, there was a greater increase in social isolation. Results also indicate a greater increase in emotional loneliness than social loneliness. Loneliness and social isolation are detrimental to the wellbeing of older adults. For that reason, programs and interventions should be introduced to mitigate these increases, and the negative consequences thereof, among older adults.

As the number of older and aging adults continues to grow in the United States, it is important to understand the process of aging and the obstacles associated with growing in age. Two social factors linked with aging are social isolation and loneliness, especially during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since COVID-19, social isolation and loneliness have been of greater focus due to regulations. This qualitative research study analyzed the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on older African American adults’ overall health by using semi-structured interviews to explore their lived experiences. This study focused on the associations between social isolation, loneliness, and reported health-related issues in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that older African American adults’ who reported social isolation, also reported poorer perceived overall health and health practices. Stress and anxiety during COVID-19 were found to be consistently reported by all participants. The use of technology was found to be a buffer to loneliness, as all participants engaging in social connectedness, whether or in-person or virtually, report having valuable relationships. This study adds to existing research related to the lived experiences of older African Americans, during the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding the significance of social comradeship and connectedness, individuals are anticipated to be more likely to make deliberate decisions and intentional strides to avoid social isolation. By identifying social isolation in older adults, interventions can be implemented by organizations such as medical offices and churches to reduce and/or eliminate social isolation by encouraging older adults to engage in social activities virtually or in person. Local and federal policymakers could also be influenced to create programs that allow older adults the capability to easily and affordably access or retain technological devices.

This compendium offers a wide range of in-depth research into loneliness and its treatment. Sociologists and psychologists address issues such as the difference between loneliness and being alone, the various types of loneliness, why people become lonely, and how the lonely can be helped. A selected bibliography on loneliness is also included.

The Sandvik, Diener, and Seidlitz (1993) paper is another that has received widespread attention because it documented the fact that self-report well-being scales correlate with a number of other methods of measuring the same concepts, such as with reports by knowledgeable “informants” (family and friends), expe- ence sampling measurement, and the memory for good versus bad life events. A single factor was found to underlie measures using different methods, and a n- ber of different well-being self-report measures were found to correlate with the non-self-report measures. Thus, although the self-report measures of well-being are imperfect, and can be in uenced by response artifacts, they have substantial validity as shown by their correlations with measurements based on alternative methods. Whereas the Pavot and Diener article reviewed the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Lucas, Diener, and Larsen (2003) paper reviews various approaches to assessing positive emotions. As we wrote in the chapter in this volume in which we present new measures, we do not consider any of the existing measures of positive affect to be entirely acceptable for measuring subjective well-being in the affect area, and that is why we have created and validated a new measure.