"Aging without support is becoming more prevalent for older people in Canada"
Today I noticed an interesting article on isolation and loneliness among older adults in the latest issue of the Mental Health Commission of Canada's The Catalyst newsletter:
As part of PSSP's Understanding Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life project, we share several resources on isolation and loneliness among older adults, including:
- Strategies for social connection among isolated older adults
- Promising practice: Addressing older adult loneliness through the Rx Community social prescribing pilot
- Webinar recording: Social prescribing as a pathway to well-being.
Feel free to share in the comments if you know of other promising initiatives or resources for addressing isolation and loneliness among older adults.
Thank you for sharing these resources Michael.
The Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) can support older adults who are feeling a sense of social isolation related to their caregiving role.
By calling the Ontario Caregiver Helpline 1-833-416-2273, caregivers can reach a one-stop resource for information and referrals connecting them to the support they need, whether it's support in their community or through our programs at OCO.
For example, in our 1:1 Peer Support Program, participants can speak directly with another caregiver, share their experiences and receive the emotional support as they navigate this journey, together. Through phone calls with a volunteer Peer Mentor, caregivers have the opportunity to connect with someone who “gets it”.
The program also benefits the Peer Mentors by connecting them to others with similar experiences. We are always recruiting, and encourage anyone interested to learn more here.
The pandemic put a spotlight on the urgency of addressing caregiver well-being, but the fact that caregivers are not coping well in their role was a reality long before the pandemic and it continues to be a reality today. One in five caregivers (22%) say their mental health is worse than it was in the midst of the pandemic, and 63% feel they hit their breaking point last year but had no choice but to keep going. The top three things that caregivers say they need are respite, mental health support and peer support, however, one in three face barriers in accessing these services. One in four caregivers say they don’t know what they need (2022 Spotlight Report).
This is great information, Sarah. Thank you for sharing it here.