Loneliness in nursing homes—Experience and measures for amelioration: A literature review

Abstract

Background: Public health and health economics consider loneliness to be an important determinant of health and quality of life for all people. For older people, loneliness can be considered as possibly the most important health determinant. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of loneliness from the perspective of residents in residential long-term care and to identify interventions to reduce loneliness by caregivers. Material and methods: Systematic literature search and study evaluation. Results: Talking about their loneliness is not easy for many residents. The manifestations of loneliness vary from being alone, to boredom and to not feeling at home. Interventions range from the use of laughter yoga and animal-assisted therapy to technological measures and the use of volunteers. Conclusion: Measures that focus on the spiritual level of relationship building and trust have proven to be most effective.