Grant: Fellowship - Priority Announcement - Longitudinal Study on Aging

A lot of research suggests that our social relationships are important to our health. In fact, in one provocative study, the authors concluded that being lonely or dissatisfied with relationships is as strong a risk factor to our health as smoking (House et al., 1988). The present study is about further examining this connection between our social relationships and health. This project is also about exploring ways that communities can help older adults be socially engaged. The first research question is: given evidence that loneliness and lack of social participation is detrimental to health, does this also translate into greater health service use? This question is important, especially given the associated costs of health care, and will be addressed by examining information gathered from older adults and health care records. Results of this study may have important implications for health care professionals providing rehabilitation services and programming for older adults. One way to address the social participation and loneliness of older adults is to create supportive, inclusive, or age-friendly environments. Therefore, the second research question is: what are communities in Manitoba doing to address the social engagement of their older community members? This question follows from a study conducted as part of the larger Manitoba Age-Friendly Communities Initiative which asked municipality representatives about the age-friendliness of their community (e.g., housing, social programs). A good proportion answered that they have programs for socially isolated adults and the present study will gather additional information on how these programs function. This information could be used to help other communities address the social engagement of older adults, make communities more age-friendly, and, ultimately, improve the health and well-being of older adults in our community.