Loneliness as a risk factor for care home admission in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Hanratty, Barbara and Stow, Daniel and Collingridge Moore, Danni and Valtorta, Nicole K and Matthews, Fiona (2018) Loneliness as a risk factor for care home admission in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Age and Ageing, 47 (6). pp. 896-900. ISSN 0002-0729

[thumbnail of Accepted_version_2018_05_14_Age_and_Ageing_Short_Report_Loneliness_Care_Homes]
Text (Accepted_version_2018_05_14_Age_and_Ageing_Short_Report_Loneliness_Care_Homes)
Accepted_version_2018_05_14_Age_and_Ageing_Short_Report_Loneliness_Care_Homes.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial.

Download (1MB)

Abstract

Background: loneliness has an adverse effect on health and well-being, and is common at older ages. Evidence that it is a risk factor for care home admission is sparse. Objective: to investigate the association between loneliness and care home admission. Setting: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Participants: two-hundred fifty-four individuals across seven waves (2002-15) of ELSA who moved into care homes were age, sex matched to four randomly selected individuals who remained in the community. Methods: logistic regression models examined associations between loneliness, socio-demographic factors, functional status and health on moving into care homes. Results: loneliness (measured by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale and a single-item question from the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)) was associated with moving into a care home (CES-D OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.43-3.17, P = 0.0002, UCLA OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.01-3.27, P = 0.05). The association persisted after adjusting for established predictors (age, sex, social isolation, depression, memory problems including diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, disability, long-term physical health and wealth). The impact of loneliness (measured by CES-D) on admission accounted for a population attributable fraction of 19.9% (95% CI 7.8-30.4%). Conclusions: loneliness conveys an independent risk of care home admission that, unlike other risk factors, may be amenable to modification. Tackling loneliness amongst older adults may be a way of enhancing wellbeing and delaying or reducing the demand for institutional care.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Age and Ageing
Additional Information:
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Age and Ageing following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated versionBarbara Hanratty, Daniel Stow, Danni Collingridge Moore, Nicole K Valtorta, Fiona Matthews, Loneliness as a risk factor for care home admission in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Age and Ageing, Volume 47, Issue 6, November 2018, Pages 896–900, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afy095 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/47/6/896/5051695
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2717
Subjects:
?? geriatrics and gerontologyageing ??
ID Code:
126589
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
22 Jun 2019 08:37
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
21 Aug 2024 23:42