TEAM 4 LONELINESS AND LOSS OF MUSCULAR STRENGTH

PLANNING COMMITTEES: YIN YIN, BEATRICE, BERNICE & BEN

PROGRAM RATIONALE

A rationale for the development of for seniors at St. Francis

Commons

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT of your topic

A. Identify the health problem in global terms (Back it up with appropriate data
international, national or state). Include the economic costs of the problem.

International data

Research on loneliness conducted mostly in Western countries has shown that at any
given time, twenty to forty percent of older adults report feeling lonely (De Jong J &
Van T, 2009) (Beatrice).
Physical activity is important in maintaining higher levels of physical functioning and
because lonely individuals are less likely to engage in physical activity than their non-
lonely counterparts, they are more likely to experience the onset or worsening of
limitations (Hawkley, Thisted & Cacioppo, 2009) (Beatrice).
National data

Loneliness may lead to serious health-related consequences. It is one of the 3 main

factors leading to depression (Green et al., 1992), and an important cause of suicide
and suicide attempts. A study carried out by Hansson et al. (1987) revealed that
loneliness was related to poor psychological adjustment, dissatisfaction with family
and social relationships. Hansson et al. (1987) also believed motivation and sadness
mimic and mask the symptoms of loneliness.
Local data

Older adults reported lower rates of loneliness than those who were younger (43% of
those age 45-49 were lonely compared to 25% of those 70+) (Anderson, 2010).
According to Anderson (2010), married respondents were less likely to be lonely
(29%) compared to never-married respondents (51%), and those with higher incomes
were less likely to be lonely than those with lower incomes (Beatrice).
B. Narrow the health problem (your topic) by showing its relationship to the proposed
priority population Older adults. State why it is a problem and why it should be dealt with.
(Back up data needed).

International epidemiological data

Researchers from the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

points out that 40 percent of adults over 65 years old suffer from loneliness at least
sometimes, with levels of loneliness gradually diminishing through the middle adult
years, and then increasing in old age (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2013). (Yin Yin)
40% of adults over 65 years of age report being lonely at least sometimes (Hawkley,
Thisted & Cacioppo, 2013)
National epidemiological data

The US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health mentions that

average age of older adults was 71 years, 59% were women, 81% White, 11% Black, 6%
Hispanic, and 18% lived alone. 43% of elders reported feeling lonely (Perissinotto,
Cenzer, & Covinsky, 2015). (Yin Yin)
43% of adults 60 years or older reported feeling lonely , 45% increase in their risk of
data (Bernice)
In a 3-year study of aging people (Nummela, 2011), loneliness was found to be a
significant contributor to poor self-rated health scores. The study also found that
self-rated health improved when loneliness lessened.

Two-thirds of the older adults in the UCSF study who said that they were lonely were
either married or living with a partner of some kind. This finding lends credence to
the belief that it's not about how many relationships you haveit's about how
meaningful they are.

As people grow old, the likelihood of experiencing age-related losses increases. Such
losses may impede the maintenance or acquisition of desired relationships, resulting
in a higher incidence of loneliness. The negative effect of loneliness on health in old
age has been reported by researchers (Heikkinen et al., 1995). The death of spouse and
friends and social disengagement after leaving work or a familiar neighborhood are some of
the ubiquitous life-changing events contributing to loneliness in older people. Those in the
oldest age cohort are most likely to report the highest rates of loneliness, reflecting their
increased probability of such losses.

A study by Max et al. (2005) revealed that the presence of perceived loneliness contributed
strongly to the effect of depression on mortality. Thus, in the oldest old, depression is
 associated with mortality only when feelings of loneliness are present. Depression is a
problem that often accompanies loneliness. In many cases, depressive symptoms such as
withdrawal, anxiety, lack of

Local data

The AARP Real Possibilities points out that 25 percent of older adults over 70+
reported they are lonely (Anderson, 2010). (Yin Yin)
10% of those aged 65 to 74 years and 13% of those aged 75 years and older identify
feeling lonely (Bernice)
There are many reasons why loneliness in older adults is a serious problem in our
community, one of the reasons is because the world is changing and we are surrounded by
technologic devices. Many young people are getting so used to the digital world that they
lost the ability to communicate face-to-face (Morgan, 2017). Besides that, some people
forgot the importance of face-to-face communication, especially with the elderly. Many
elderly people prefer to communicate face-to-face because this is the way they know and
the way they were brought up. Face-to-face interaction helps elderly people feel less lonely,
especially when their family members are too busy to visit them or a lack of a close
relationship, especially the elderly that live in a nursing home. (Yin Yin)

2. STATE A PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM (name and purpose of your proposed
HP program).

A. Provide a general overview of the program.

Loneliness and loss of muscular strength program is a program that creates awareness and
improves the quality of life to seniors at St. Francis Commons. It is a program that not only
gains and benefits the value for older adults in the nursing home. It also provides learning
and an exercise program for the providers and receivers. Through this learning program the
older adults and students can break free from social anxiety or loneliness. This program will
provide a service, such as one to one communication, going for a walk in the park, and
playing mental exercise games. It is a rewarding experience for students to gain from, and
understanding the behavior of the elderly - why they do, what they do. Also, a program that
reduces the loneliness, depression and anxiety for seniors, so that they feel more meaning in
life. (Yin Yin)
Social interaction is another great way for the elderly to communicate with outside world,
besides their family members. Having students or volunteers in their life would make them
feel love and support. They need to know that people and their community care, because
many elderly people have trouble making new friends, since they lose their friends due to
their age (Singh and Misra, 2009). (Yin Yin)

Social integration is also another important method to help keep the elderly physically and
mentally active. Development psychologist, Susan Pinker explains that the secret of living
longer is having a tight community. She did research at an Italian island called Sardinia. She
found that the reason people were living longer on that island is because people interact
with people. The most important part of integration is how much and how many people a
person talks to in a day (Pinker, 2017). These are the reasons why my topic: loneliness and
muscular strength is important. (Yin Yin)

B. Talk about existing health promotion program of your topic and if they were successful or
not.

Adopt-A-Grandparent programs or Service to Senior (Exchange the National

Exchange club, 2017). (Yin Yin)
Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) (Senior Service America,
n.d.) (Yin Yin)

C. State what values and benefits to the decision makers can be gained through your HP
program.

There are many values and benefits to be gained through Health Promotion program, one of
those are:

It is a program that not only gains and benefits the value for older adults in the nursing
home. It also provides learning and an exercise program for the providers and receivers.
Through this learning program the older adults and students can break free from social
anxiety or loneliness. In other words, providers and receivers can learn from each others,
about the history that never was told in a book or the childhood memories of individual
senior citizens. (Yin Yin)
This program will provide a service, such as one to one communication, going for a walk in
the park, and playing mental exercise games. It is a rewarding experience for students to
gain from, and understanding the behavior of the elderly - why they do, what they do. Also,
a program that reduces the loneliness, depression and anxiety for seniors, so that they feel
more meaning in life. (Yin Yin)

D. State why the program will be successful (Address benefits and uniqueness of the
program).

The program will be successful when everyone works together and recognizes the
importance of loneliness and loss of muscular strength for older adults. Many successful
stories came from everyones efforts, those people such as program planners, professors,
volunteers, stakeholders, members of the nursing home, and community members. In other
words, having a team that plans, and continues to take care, or to make a difference for
older adults to be able to create a better life. (Yin Yin)

References

Botek, A-M. (2017). The elder loneliness epidemic. Retrieved from

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/loneliness-in-the-elderly-
151549.htmhttps://www.agingcare.com/articles/loneliness-in-the-elderly-151549.htm
(Yin Yin)

Anderson, G. O. (2010, September). Loneliness among older adults: a national survey

of adult 45 +. AARP Real Possibilities. Retrieved from
http://www.aarp.org/research/topics/life/info-2014/loneliness_2010.html (Yin
Yin)

Exchange the National Exchange Club. (2017). Service to Senior. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalexchangeclub.org/service-to-senior/ (Yin Yin)
 De Jong J, Van T (1999). Living arrangements of older adults in the Netherlands and
Italy; Coresidence values and behavior and their consequences for loneliness. Journal
of Cross-cultural Gerontology. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1006600825693(Beatrice)

Hawkley L, Thisted R, Cacioppo J, (2013). Loneliness predicts reduced physical

activity; Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Health Psychology. doi:
10.1037/a0014400 (Beatrice)

Hawkley, C. L., & Cacioppo, T. J. (2013, December 30). Loneliness matters: a

theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. US National
Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 40(2): 218-227. doi: 10.1007/s12160-
010-9210-8 (Yin Yin)

Morgan, C. (2017). Eight great things about face-to-face communication most people
dont do anymore because of technology. Lifehack. Retrieved from
http://www.lifehack.org/281175/8-great-things-about-face-face-
communication-most- people-don't-anymore-because-technology (Yin Yin)

Nummela, O. (2015, February 21). Social capital and self-rated health among ageing
people in urban and rural locations in finland and in europe. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-9615-6_12 (Yin Yin)

Perissinotto, M. C., Cenzer, S. I., & Covinsky, E. K. (2015, April 3). Loneliness in older
persons: a predictor of functional decline and death. US National Library of Medicine,
National Institutes of Health, 172(14): 1078-1083. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1993
(Yin Yin)

Pinker, S. (Speaker). (2017, April). The secret to living longer may be your social life
[Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
 https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_longer_may_b
e_your _social_life#t-542051 (Yin Yin)

Singh, A., & Misra, N. (2009, June). Loneliness, depression and sociability in old age.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine 18(1),
51-55. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.57861 (Yin Yin)

The St. Luke Family of Caring. (2017, November 16). SUNY Oswego Health Promotion
and Wellness Class Completes Fall Semester Work with St. Francis Commons Residents.
Retrieved from https://www.stlukehs.com/st-francis-commons-at-st-
luke/news/show/suny-oswego-health-promotion-and-wellness-class-completes-fall-
semester-work-with-st-francis-commons-residents (Yin Yin)