Building a Community of Support For Elderly Communities

 

A major health challenge facing the older generation is social isolation, which can lead to depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders. The main aim of this research was to develop an index to measure the perceived social support in Sydney consisting of five elements among elderly in India. These five elements are general life view, emotional support, bodily support, social support and financial provision. This is based on the universal definition of a supportive environment that encompasses all these five aspects.

The results showed that the general life view and emotional support element of old age care and the general health care were the most important factors for the well-being of the old aged people. However, there was a notable reduction in the financial provisions element. Hence, this highlights the need for innovative solutions that can bridge the gap between the delivery of health services and social support for elderly. With this, a new concept of "instrumental social support" was introduced. It is conceptualized as an integrated model that combines the concepts of general life support and emotional support with health care. This helps to enhance the provision of health care and address essential issues related to loneliness and depression.

According to the research, loneliness is the main cause of increased morbidity and mortality in the older adults. Therefore, this problem should be addressed before it becomes a serious matter and can even lead to major depression and other psychiatric disorders. Therefore, the present focus of social support for elderly is to provide elderly people with the feeling of community that can help in dealing with problems associated with loneliness and depression.

According to the research, older adults who are deprived of regular social contact suffer from more symptoms of depression than those who are integrated in their communities. As a result of this, many elderly people live a solitary life and are unable to fulfill their personal and social responsibilities. Social support is important to provide the necessary in-home assistance such as: support during emergencies, maintenance of routines and improving daily living skills, and providing companionship. This will reduce the risk of developing chronic depression and improve quality of life and physical functioning.

Social Support for elderly was studied using two nationally representative samples. The study sample consisted of randomly selected older adults from the same community (Nationally Notified Tribal Elderly) who were residing in the United States. The selected sample had adequate data on: age, sex, education, geographic location, annual family income, level of chronic health problems, and level of daily living resources. The results showed that the prevalence of depression was highest among those living in the lowest quartile for all the factors included in the questionnaire (lowest quartile being at or above the median income for the community, health status, and level of daily living resources). The prevalence of chronic pain was also highest among the older respondents (median age at diagnosis, 95th percentile).

In addition, those living in the upper quintiles had significantly higher levels of social support at all times (e.g., those in the highest quintile had the highest levels of social support). The pattern was consistent across all domains (past, present, and future), and was mostly consistent across types of disability, but was weaker for depression. When the analyses were restricted to those who had completed a previous screening for depression, there was still a significant effect of depression, with the odds of depression being twice as high in those without a previous screening.

Depression was more prevalent in rural elderly compared to urban elderly. In rural areas, the lack of an adequate social support system may be due to lack of exposure to others (e.g., neighborhood, friends, relatives). Also, family members may not be available for support if the elder adult needs frequent help because of his/her disabling condition, limited mobility, painful illness, or other physical challenges. The existence of a support system may be strongest in more affluent family members, but this may not be the case in less wealthy communities.

95 Social interactions can occur in various settings including: personal care givers, institutions, communities with large aging populations, and others. The most prevalent settings where elderly interact in several interacting settings are: personal care givers, institutions, and communities with large aging populations.

96 There are two types of interventions commonly used to target the problem of geriatric depression: therapeutic interventions and social-supportive interventions. Therapeutic interventions focus on the needs of the elderly patient and try to improve his/her quality of life through improving health and functioning. Social-supportive interventions are done to improve the quality of life of the elderly patient and their family, especially when the elderly adult is involved in the daily living activities of their family.

Indirect emotional meaning transfer theory suggests that by improving the emotional state of an old adult, they can improve their health and reduce the risk of suffering from depression and other psychiatric disorders. This theory is supported by the results of a study conducted in India on the impact of social support on the mental and physical health of an old adult. The study by these researchers found a significant positive correlation between the improvement of emotional well being and the reduction in the severity of depression symptoms and the probability of getting new Delhi syndrome. The emotional meaning transfer theory can be translated as "the elderly receive better care when they have the emotional support" and this is one way of ensuring a longer life and a good quality of life for the elderly citizens of villages like Nagarhole in Rajasthan, India.