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Alleviating Loneliness among Frail Older People – Findings from a Randomised Controlled Trial

2008; Tech Science Press; Volume: 10; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14623730.2008.9721760

2049-8543

Kirsi Ollonqvist, Hanna Palkeinen, T Aaltonen, Timo Pohjolainen, Pauli Puukka, Katariina Hinkka, Seppo Pöntinen,

Health, psychology, and well-being

Loneliness among frail older people predicts increased use of health services, early institutionalisation and increased mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a new rehabilitation model on loneliness among frail older people. This randomized controlled multi-centre trial with a 12-month follow-up was implemented in Finland. A total of 708 community-dwelling people aged 65+ years with progressively decreasing functional capacity participated. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention group (n = 343) or to the control group (n = 365). The intervention consisted of a network-based group rehabilitation programme designed for frail older people. A 0.9-fold decrease in the proportion of participants feeling lonely was observed in the intervention group and a 1.1-fold increase in the control group. The results suggest that a physically orientated rehabilitation programme may reduce emotional loneliness.