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What Intervention Is Most Effective In Reducing Loneliness In Over 65 Years? Introduction Loneliness is defined as the effect of one being denied necessary affection and failing to interact socially with other people close to him. Loneliness is a state where one lacks social development, and it is also related to a diminished emotional state of a human being. People above the age of 65 years usually have fewer people to associate with, and this brings the aspect of loneliness to their lives. The survey shows that only 45 percent of the people aged above 65 years have a personal relationship with other family members as compared to 70 percent for people of other ages. At the age of 65 years and above, there is an emergence of alienation from the society as well as friends due to reduced mobility and social interest. While social disconnection is a goal state that is characterised by social connections and contacts, dejection involves a personal affair. Depression includes negative attitude or feeling related with an apparent crevice between the quality and amount of connections that we have and those we need (Bagnall, 2016). Along these lines forlornness is profoundly individual – its causes, results and to be sure it’s exceptional presence are difficult to decide without particular reference and individual’s qualities, needs, wishes and emotions. All things considered, it is additionally a complicated and regularly tedious and to address the issue. Nonetheless, the issue must be tended to because of the broad and annihilating effects which have on the individuals who encounter it once a day (Cann, 2011). It is clear that most of the dejection mediations in today’s accessibility aid in lessening forlornness by expanding the amount and nature of connections, and their majorities achieve it by supporting people to grow new connections. Most specialists trusted that sorts of intercessions were viable in handling forlornness. However, some control held up particular cases as demonstrating massive guarantee over others. Rather they contended that any such mediation could be useful if they advance by the more established individual and appropriate to their necessities (henceforth the significance of the establishment administrations) (Barrett, 2012). Numerous specialists discussed the requirement for groups to offer a menu of such methodologies. However, a few experts emphatically contended that for some more established individuals coordinated mediations, as become friends with, would remain the greatest reasonable choice for giving social care, and highlighted the extensive varieties amongst various models in operation (Cohen-Mansfield, 2015). There is developing enthusiasm between specialists concerning the requirement for rational ways to deal with assistance for individuals change their reasoning due to their social associations (Bagnall, 2016). Body In determining the level of loneliness among older people, a series of quantification methods have been used to determine the extent (Toepoel, 2013). The procedures can range from surveys using a series of questions in a questionnaire, employing various proven multidimensional instruments and employing measures to determine the psychological state of the old people and determining their well-being. Factors that cause loneliness in old people above the age of 65 years Diverse factors are revolving around social issues and depression in people at older ages. By determining the interrelation of the elements, one can be able to identify what causes loneliness in old people (Cann, 2011). According to different studies done using various methods of measuring loneliness, there are certain universal factors which result to old people having loneliness in their lives; 	The age factor 	Association with a certain ethnic group or people of a particular dialect 	The sex of the individual in context 	The form of living assumed by the individual as well as their marital status 	The geographical location one is living in 	Housing issues and rejection 	Health status of the person 	Income earned by the person 	Access to various forms of informal care and 	The sexual orientation of the individual (Barrett, 2012). Age determines how the likelihood of a person to regarding expression of self-relation. As age increases, a person is bound to become lonely in the long run (Cohen-Mansfield, 2015). Regarding gender, males and females are affected differently by loneliness at the age of 65 years and above (Knapp, 2010). According to statistics, older men are more capable of avoiding loneliness than older women. Since men are usually not confined to their homes beyond the age of 65 years, they tend to interact with friends which reduce their loneliness compared to women who prefer to remain in the confinement of their homes at this age (Bagnall, 2016). The case of living arrangements also affects loneliness among older people as well as their marital status (Toepoel, 2013). The older people who live alone have a higher probability to say that they feel lonely often. People at the age of 65 years who have been widowed or have divorced with their partners have greater tendency to feel alone compared to those living with their spouses (Barrett, 2012). Through the factor of bereavement due to death o partners, the people left behind have a tendency of alienating themselves from the social life which can progressively lead to loneliness. Housing is also another factor leading to loneliness and older people over 65 years who live in residential care often feel more alienated from the society compared to those residing in the community. Some studies have further indicated that living in areas far from towns also results to loneliness. The alienation from the urbanisation is one element which leads to loneliness according to a variety of studies (Cann, 2011). Health status of older people, as well as disability, is elemental towards loneliness in seniors. Poor health results in reduced mobility of the older people as well as reduced impairment which increases their chances of being lonely. Ethnicity is also another factor that results in loneliness as well as language differences (Cattan, 2005). The elderly people from minor ethnic communities have a higher probability of getting more lonely compared to those from dominant ethnic communities. The sexual orientation of the older people is also another cause of loneliness whereby gay and lesbians have a higher probability of becoming lonelier at the age of 65 due to isolation from the rest of the community (Knapp, 2010). Interventions to Reduce Loneliness A variety of research done by scholars has indicated that the aspect of loneliness is not an immutable effect and it can, therefore, be developed or worsened. Use of the strategies for interventions which improve the association of older people and feeling of the social impact of connectedness can help reduce the level of loneliness and self-appreciation of the older people (Dickens, 2011). The interventions are applied in developing the social interactions of the elderly people and diminish loneliness. The intervention strategies are classified in four different ways: 	The progressive improvement of the social skills of the old people 	Develop and create more chances for social interaction of the aged members 	Treatment and reduction of the maladaptive social cognition strategies 	Improvement of the social support strategies Through the use of a quantitative meta-analysis, the intervention strategies used in this case can be effectively utilised in the reduction of loneliness, in any event, discussed earlier regarding age and other features demonstrated by the participants. The measures of intervention which change the behaviour of a person and the maladaptive social cognition factors of the participant are the most advocated intervention measures. For United Kingdom studies, however, the improvement of social interaction of the participant is the most efficient measure used in the reduction of loneliness. The reason why increasing the case of social interactions is more effective compared to other methods due to the cost effectiveness of the strategy and the fact that it is diverse and reaches more number of participants(Bagnall, 2016). For the intervention strategies to be successful, targeting old people at various stages is necessary and use of the processes of planning, development, the quantification of delivery as well as assessment strategies. For the interventions to be successful, research shows that intervention is more effective for the target group if tailoring to meet specific needs is done. Group activities as an intervention Use of group intervention is a strategy which targets a variety of participants at once. The use of group activities is highly cost effective compared to the use of intervention methods involving one on one approach (Barrett, 2012). The method is effective as it concentrates on the activities done by the participants rather than the loneliness which helps avoid adverse effects associated with loneliness such as stigma and this strategy further attracts some members (Cann, 2011). The use of group activities involves two sub-strategies where either can be chosen depending on the participants’ involvement (Cattan, 2005). a.	Use of specialised groups with an aim to target older people This strategy includes a diverse set of services towards realising the concept of group relations. They include the use of services such as day centres, developing and organising lunch clubs, the creation of group social organisations and involvement in creative chores, the creation of a group involving support agendas as well as strategies involving fitness and maintenance of health issues. The functional teams give results to a variety of results where some provide an indication of the measures which can be used to indicate loneliness reduction or otherwise. For the set of groups which do not use the eradication of loneliness as a particular strategy, the results can be addressed diversely to determine the factors which have are noted to have improved (Bagnall, 2016). A typical example is for the members involved in health maintaining as well as upholding of independence behaviours where the participants in this strategy tend to be less lonely compared to those who do not, and they tend to appreciate the environment which they grow in (Duncan, 2003). In a dynamic review of the participants involved in art and exercises, over 95 percent of the participants agreed that the feeling of loneliness is reduced by a considerable margin after they engaged in the activities. b.	Community Engagement Intervention The intervention advocates for the older people above 65 years to participate in the programs presented by the society such as the use of libraries as well as volunteer programs in the community. The engagement with such programs has been showing to significantly reduce loneliness as well as positively change the lifestyles of the participants. One on One Intervention For the group of older people who are bound to their houses or branded as frail, the participation in group activities can be a setback. In other cases, some older people usually prefer the interaction of one on one rather than involvement in group activities. According to research, one on one intervention can be crucial in reducing the level of loneliness experienced by lonely people as well as reduction of the deteriorated health issues or the factor of well-being. a.	Befriending This is a process of intervention where an elderly person associated with the individual(s) who assist the client with development of social relations through the establishment of an affirmative and emotion based on the relationship over a particular time (Barrett, 2012). This strategy of interventions involves a variety of approaches such as the volunteer or paid worker visit the elderly person in his home or conducts the support through telephone at a designated time (Duncan, 2003). Befriending has been proven to be an effective strategy towards producing positive outcomes over a period. According to a series of evaluation done, use of telephoning strategy where the client engages with calls on time by the volunteer or a paid worker, the customers responded positively to the calls by indicating reduced levels of loneliness and improved association with the volunteer(Cohen-Mansfield, 2015). The older people who had undergone the process reported that they felt sharing information, talking and listening to another human being whom they could trust deemed to be more important in reducing their loneliness(Knapp, 2010). The involvement and contact with the volunteer provided the older people with a sense of belonging to a certain party which boosted their confidence and resulted in the feeling of loneliness being reduced. In the study, most of the clients felt that the strategy should reference in that name is a setback to as befriending as they felt that the name made the approach more problematized which was emotionally draining. The main benefits noted by people engaging in the strategy involved 	Considering that the community has not forgotten them 	There was a realisation that there was someone who cared for them 	It created a peaceful mind 	Engagement in ordinary conversation with other people is noted to have increased 	Emotional stability is raised, and health status is enhanced 	The elderly people no longer felt as if they existed as a burden to the community and people around them The intervention process is successful, and most of the clients indicated that through calls and personal visits, there was increased self-confidence as well as the interpersonal skills which enhanced their emotions and feelings to get attached to the society. b.	Gatekeeping The intervention strategies involve volunteers associating with elderly people who are hard to reach and providing them with required emotional support, and it acts as a link between the expectation of the community and the expressions of the public service. Gatekeeping mainly aims at assisting the elderly people in determining the appropriate intervention to engage in (Cann, 2011). The determinant of the provisions to be provided to the elderly people involves use visits by a professional or relationship through phone interviews where the volunteer determines the needs of the older person and correlates them to what is available in the society. Studies have indicated that the use of navigator strategies in the community is an effective procedure towards the identification of the people who are isolated in the social context and hence becoming lonely (Cattan, 2005). The process identifies the old people engaged in the gatekeeping strategy and has become successful using the strategy to entice and encourage other individuals in a similar position to join the initiative (Findlay, 2003). An example of an action involving gatekeeping is the village engagement program in the UK where the volunteers were from the community and quite conversant with the available resources (Dickens, 2011). The volunteers take a visit to the older adults above the age of 65 years and help in arranging and guiding the clients on their needs such as the factors of transportation. The agents conversant with the villages can determine where there is a hazard and thereby advise accordingly on the efficient strategies to correct or fix the problem at hand (Duncan, 2003). The Internet as an intervention method The intervention process involving internet develops a series of mixed results and can only apply in areas where there is the accessibility of the web. A case where older people aged above 65 years in Finland, the clients were supposed to relate to each other through the use of emails produced positive results regarding reducing loneliness. Despite the case of lack of evidence among the internet users regarding tracking, the relationship using the internet has proved that loneliness reduces and it can be used to avoid cases of social isolation. The intervention concentrates on the group of elderly people who have skills in IT. Studies have shown that providing necessary services as well as taking them as a source of information which can be used to develop a platform where the old people can provide assistance within themselves in support of their everyday lives (Findlay, 2003). As the global technology platform grows, in future, there will be an enhanced strategic approach when there are more of the older people who have access to the internet, and the platform will be capable of providing a solution to loneliness and those under depression and using the internet to help them solve their loneliness conditions. The intervention process based on Special group of older people Men do not exhibit high cases of loneliness, and only 5-7 percent of the found with loneliness above the age of 65 years (Dickens, 2011). The aspect of social isolation, as well as loneliness, is rampant in men, and they have disastrous effects on the mental and health condition. It’s hard to engage men in group activities and make new friends in such cases as compared to the women (Dickens, 2011). Men at old age rarely approve on the effect of social groups, and only a few of them accept that the teams develop active pursuits. The intervention process for men should mainly involve a work-like structure where they gain skills and knowledge, and the feeling of accomplishment is bound to improve their relationship structures with the society and reduce loneliness whatsoever (Findlay, 2003). Conclusion Loneliness among people aged above 65 years is rampant in today’s society, and various strategies and interventions should be put in place. The success of the intervention depends on the correct choice of the strategy depending on the extent of loneliness and the social relationship of the person in context. Through a selection of a right intervention for a particular set of people or individual, the loneliness and social disconnect of the old people can be well mitigated. The most successful forms of interventions are the group intervention, one on one intervention, use of the internet as a collection element for the elderly people and using a different strategy for a particular individual such as recessive groups of men.

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