Photo: Freysteinn G. Jonsson/Unsplash
Social frailty is defined by an inability to safely and smoothly live from day to day with ease, free of physical, emotional, mental and financial burdens. Very often elderly persons with one or more health challenges that impact daily living don’t have the community resources necessary to enrich their lives to relieve the isolation of home alone solitary living.
Many in my world might consider me socially frail because I don’t move about easily within the community, relying on a few mobility aids, a wheelchair or crutches when spending time in the city for shopping, and a mobility scooter for ‘running the roads’ where I live, just outside, Fredericton, NB. My involvement/presence within the community is, for the most part, functional – to get things done – like health care appointments, grocery shopping, the occasional mall crawling and dog grooming appointments.
Often, with no close relationships and little or no opportunity to rely on others for help, the socially frail may risk becoming more mired in the muck of isolation. They’re not always active in community groups or religious organizations or live in neighborhoods may not be safe. Here’s the thing, though. Many, if asked, would like to be. Would love to be.
According to a 2014 Japanese study, “men with social frailty were more vulnerable than women to a decline in their psychological function and cognition domains. Therefore, the advanced management of social frailty is necessary to facilitate healthy aging.”
Perhaps a community cooking class for men followed by a shared meal with their dinner date. Activities such as this are ideal ways to opening doors to other community/social opportunities which enhance quality of life.
Closer to home, our aging population, regardless of gender, may benefit from an ongoing daily plan to counter the effects of social frailty. That is not to say that we who are aging need to be looked after/sat with, interacted with on a daily basis. Many people, myself included, are creatures of solitary habits. That’s not a bad thing, but with the passage of time, as more peers are passing away due to implications of illness or old age, it’s important to do wellness checks on those who really are more on their own than is safe, based on medical standards of care.
COVID shone a light on manifold inequalities experienced by the aged and those living with since birth/long term disability and those plagued by bare minimum classroom education and minimum wage work life employment. Being ‘confined to quarters’ was a challenge to millions of people who had a lifetime of being used to coming and going, socially connecting on their own initiative or being included by others, individuals and groups.
Establishing a network of social connectedness goes a long way to reducing social frailty and reducing health care costs. The engaged person is a happier person, a more physically healthy person. It reasons that communities across the country would be well served by stepping up programs and services of outreach to those who are rarely seen or heard from.
Inequalities in health care continue to put the socially frail at risk as they lack the resources to reach out and touch, to coin that popular television advertisement phrase. We who can must do the reaching out. One day we may find ourselves in need of similar networking supports and to fully appreciate what it means while we are young allows us to strategize with like minded men and women in the community to ensure that the ‘least among us’ have their needs met.
Financial stress, transportation problems, concerns about affordable housing are uppermost in the minds of older persons as they get close to the typical retirement age. Are they ready for what that means. Will an often reduced income allow them to continue living in the manner to which they’ve been accustomed? Having to give up the family home because it’s too expensive is a worry that impacts seniors who never had a solid plan over the decades before they ‘aged into’ the 60s-70s zone. Panic exacerbates dementia, compounding the problem.
Social frailty is the enemy of many senior, elderly and advanced geriatric men and women, but it doesn’t have to diminish quality of life if systems of support are put in place to cover all the bases.
Nursing home care is expensive and wait times for beds can be long; some patients actually expire while waiting for admission. Quality of life for the socially frail could be significantly enhanced if community school systems, as example, incorporated studies in home ‘friendly visiting’ care with seniors as part of course credit. Match students with seniors in the community to ensure an enriched mutually beneficial relationships. School boards, school administrators, provincial departments of labour, health and education could collaborate on a range of schemes that engage two populations with different needs and different skills.
Independent living requires a high degree of mental acuity; from self care, to meal planning and preparing, to home care, pet care and friends care. Inviting people in if you cannot go out is a great way to connect and engage.
It’s been my experience that being mentally engaged allows the older, isolated person to stave off the angst of home alone living, staying alert and aware -- both tools to ward off dementia. Scrabble, anyone?
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, a boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell
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