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. 2018 Nov 1;47(6):896-900.
doi: 10.1093/ageing/afy095.

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

Barbara Hanratty  1 , Daniel Stow  1 , Danni Collingridge Moore  2 , Nicole K Valtorta  1 , Fiona Matthews  1
Affiliations

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

Barbara Hanratty et al. Age Ageing. .

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders, the NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care.

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