New report claims social contact for the elderly is critical
[24 January 2007 | Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd]
Australians urged to speak with their elderly relatives, friends and neighbours more frequently, to help address loneliness and social isolation.
A new report published today, claims that addressing loneliness and social isolation among Australia's elderly community is a critical step in being able to successfully respond to the challenges of an ageing population.
The Evaluation Report of The Neighbourhood Contact Program presents the results of a trial conducted in Sydney during 2006 by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and the Macquarie Branch of the National Seniors Association. The program consisted of the pairing of an older person from the local community with a younger volunteer from Novartis. The pairs were given the opportunity to get to know one another, keep in touch and organise outings together, with the aim of looking at ways of reducing the risk of social isolation for the elderly individuals and establishing greater connections in the local community.
"As an older person living alone, I enjoyed having Matt (program partner) around and always looked forward to our chats. Instantly, we established a delightful friendship and found so much to talk about, from our lives to politics and sport," said John Mortimer, President, Macquarie National Seniors Association and a volunteer participant in the program.
"While there are many programs to foster social interaction amongst the younger generations, older Australians are often forgotten. Programs such as this are great initiatives for people my age and I believe will go a long way in helping alleviate some of the loneliness that many older Australians are experiencing," he added.
"The Neighbourhood Contact Program is similar to the Commonwealth-funded Community Visitors Scheme which connects volunteers with isolated older people in residential aged care facilities. But this initiative takes the Community Visitors Scheme model out into the community, and provides valuable social contact for the increasing number of older people living independently in their own homes," stated Matthew Cuming, volunteer participant, Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
For many older persons the combination of living alone and growing older creates a situation in which individuals are less likely to experience social contact with others. According to the ABS, in 2002-03 some 44% of older person households (65+ years) were lone person households compared with just 20% of younger households.¹ Further research conducted by the ABS in 2006, has also shown that the number of lone person households is projected to increase from 1.6 million households in 1996 to between 2.4 million and 3.4 million households in 2021.²
"While people can experience loneliness and social isolation at any age, the specific characteristics of older people in terms of their health, changing family structures and levels of mobility suggest they are more likely to experience social isolation," stated Clare Hammond, Program Facilitator, Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
"It is therefore vital to find ways to foster friendships between the older generation and younger Australians, thereby helping to broaden their day to day activities, reduce loneliness and generally improve their overall quality of life. The Neighbourhood Contact Program addresses this need and also provides a new and exciting way for businesses to involve their own employee volunteers in a corporate social responsibility program," she added.
The key Evaluation Report recommendations for 2007 and beyond are summarised below:
- Further implementation of such programs would be beneficial in minimising loneliness and social isolation experienced by many older Australians.
- A larger trial of The Neighbourhood Contact Program (or an alternative model) should be conducted by government, business and community organisation/s;
- Businesses and community organisations should build on this trial to develop new and innovative responses to the challenge of social isolation for the elderly, particularly those living independently;
- Successful programs to tackle social isolation for the elderly such as the Commonwealth-funded Community Visitors Scheme, and the Red Cross 'Telecross' program should be supported and expanded;
- New ways to reach and recruit genuinely isolated older people for these kinds of programs should be tested. For example, the report suggests that GPs and pharmacists could refer older and isolated patients to a program like this in their local area.
"If everyone made an effort to communicate more often with their older relatives, friends and neighbours, this would help reinvigorate Australia's sense of community and make everyone feel safer and more connected," concluded Clare Hammond.
Download the evaluation report of The Neighbourhood Contact Program at http://www.novartis.com.au/ncp.htmlThe report is based on the feedback and advice of those employee volunteers and seniors that took part in the program trial in 2006. A short documentary is also available on the site which explains the trial in more detail, and provides an introduction to some of the participants.
For more information please contact:
Clare Hammond
Program Facilitator - Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Ph: 02 9805 3560 or 0427 689 689
Email: Clare.Hammond@novartis.com
References:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4102.0 Australian Social Trends 2005. Last viewed December 2006. Found at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/2f762f95845417aeca25706c00834efa/4fe57db85b46d6cfca25703b0080cccc!OpenDocument
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. 1370.0 Measures of Australia's Progress (p.149). 2006. Last viewed December 2006. Found at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1370.02006%20(Reissue)?OpenDocument.