Social connection and aged care
Loneliness isn't just an unpleasant feeling, it has a real, measurable effect on health, and it's a bigger problem in aged care than a lot of people realise.
Studies looking specifically at long-term care residents have found that up to 56% report feeling lonely (Systematic Review of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Long-Term Care). That's more than half. Other research has found that loneliness in this setting is linked to higher rates of depression, and in some studies, to frailty and even suicidal thinking (ScienceDirect systematic review, 2022). For older adults generally, researchers have found that being socially isolated raises the risk of dying early by a similar amount to smoking or having high blood pressure, which shows just how seriously this should be taken, not treated as a minor quality-of-life issue.
Part of the problem is timing. Research shows that loneliness and isolation tend to get worse right after someone moves into residential care, not better, even though that's exactly when they're surrounded by more people day to day (PubMed, residential care qualitative study). Simply being in a building with other people doesn't automatically mean someone feels connected to them.
The good news is that this is something real programs can actually help with. A review of interventions used in long-term care found that structured activities, including gardening programs, were effective at reducing feelings of loneliness among residents (Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Long-Term Care). This isn't just about keeping people busy. It's about creating a shared, genuine moment between residents, something to talk about, notice, and experience together, rather than everyone just being in the same room.
This is a big part of why our group sessions are built the way they are. Passing a flower hand to hand, smelling the same herb, and sharing a memory it brings up gives residents something real to connect over, not just shared proximity.
Studies referenced
A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Long-Term Care (2024)
Health effects of loneliness and social isolation in older adults living in congregate long term care settings: A systematic review, ScienceDirect (2022)
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
