Strategies to Promote Social Connections Among Older Adults During Social Distancing Restrictions

Older age and medical comorbidity are factors associated with more severe illness and risk of death due to COVID-19 infection. Social distancing is an important public health strategy for controlling the spread of the virus and minimizing its impact on the older adult population. It comes at a cost, however. Loneliness is associated with myriad adverse health outcomes, one of which is impaired immune functioning, which adds even greater risk for coronavirus infection, complications and death. Older adults, therefore, are at compound risk, making effective management of loneliness and social isolation in our older patients a high priority target for preventive intervention. In this paper, the authors describe a cognitive-behavioral framework for social connectedness, including evidence-informed strategies clinicians can use to help patients develop a Connections Plan to stay connected and promote their social, mental, and physical health during social distancing restrictions. This set of strategies can be provided during brief (30 minute) telephone sessions and is analogous to creating a Safety Plan for suicide risk. The approach is illustrated with three case examples. (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2021; 29:816-827)

Automated summary

Older age and medical comorbidity are associated with more severe illness and risk of death due to COVID-19 infection. Social distancing is crucial for controlling the spread of the virus but may lead to loneliness, increasing the risk of infection. Therefore, effective management of loneliness and social isolation in older patients is a priority for preventive intervention.