Study of the factors affecting social isolation of the elderly and its consequences
Subject Areas : CulturalParastoo Kani 1 , Maysam Musai 2
1 - PhD Candidate in Social Welfare, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 - Professor, Member of the Working Group for the Transformation and Promotion of the Economics Department, University of Tehran.
Keywords: Elderly, Social Isolation, Socioeconomic Factors,
Abstract :
Nowadays, due to the improvement of public health standards, human life expectancy has increased. With longer lifespans, aging and the factors influencing it as well as its effects and consequences have become a social issue for the elderly. We aim to find a solution to reduce the social isolation of older individuals. For this purpose, we used a questionnaire and approached 18 elderly residents of the Kahrizak facility who were willing to participate in in-depth interviews. Using the Boolean algebra approach, we studied the factors affecting the degree of social isolation among the elderly. The most significant factors included marital status, income, employment, health condition, and the number of children and grandchildren. The findings showed that the higher the level of social isolation among the elderly participants, the more they experienced feelings of purposelessness, loneliness, difficulties in social relationships, psychological problems, and physical illness. Additionally, as people grow older, their health status and personality change simultaneously, which may directly affect their social interactions and lead to a decline in the quality of their relationships. Therefore, actions must be taken to prevent the isolation of the elderly. These include encouraging them to join social networks and learn how to use digital platforms, providing communication devices such as radios, televisions, newspapers, books, home entertainment systems, and mobile phones, and promoting their membership in clubs and social environments.