Are Older People Living Alone Socially Isolated? A Qualitative Study of Their Experiences

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the experiences of social isolation among older people living alone. The current state of knowledge suggests that they are at a higher risk of social isolation which, in turn, can compromise their health and well-being to varying degrees. Yet, few qualitative studies have tried to understand the subjective experience of living alone and the ways it can impact older people’s relationships. The data presented here are based on 43 individual interviews with men and women aged 65 to 93 living alone in the Montreal area (Canada), and group discussions with 120 actors involved in intervention. The results showed that the majority of the participating older people did not see living alone as a problem. Their stories revealed the extent of their resilience and their ability to maintain satisfactory social relations with family and peers. However, for a minority, mostly men over 80 years old, solo living translated into being alone and could become problematic. The article presents reflections for social work intervention, inviting practitioners to consider different vulnerabilities affecting the capacity of older people living alone to maintain their social networks and highlighting the importance of fostering reciprocity in their relationships.

KEYWORDS:

• Living alone
• social isolation
• qualitative study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ These statistics do not therefore include all older people living alone in collective settings, such as residences for seniors.

² Gender has been a controversial issue in the past few years. Contrary to the widely held belief that the experience of aging is more problematic for women (Charpentier et al., 2019; Krekula, 2007), recent studies have concluded that being a man, in Canada, is associated more significantly with loneliness than being a woman (De Jong Gierveld et al., 2015).

³ “Vieillir et vivre seul.e” (Charpentier et al.,2019), funded by the Québec Ami des Aînés program of the Secrétariat aux Aînés (Government of Quebec).

⁴ For Dubet (1994), “experience” refers to the way in which individuals apprehend their reality, reflect on it and react to it through different individual and collective practices or conduct. It reflects the relationship between objective living conditions and the autonomy margin of individuals – here elderly people living alone -, while taking into account their subjectivity and their feelings. This theory enabled our analyses to take into account the fact that experience varies from one individual to another depending on their social and personal history, their particular situation, their social environment and the constraints they encounter.

⁵ Data collection took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, whose impacts on the social life of older people are therefore not reflected in these results.

⁶ Les Petits Frères organization has over 2,000 volunteers throughout Quebec who assist isolated older people, whom they call their “Vieux Amis “ (elder friends). www.lespetitsfreres.ca.

⁷ Excluded from the study were older people living in housing settings administered by the public health and social services network, such as long-term care centers or nursing homes (known as centers d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée, or CHSLD, in Quebec).

⁸ In this study, an annual income of CAN$50,000 was considered high, while modest incomes were considered to be CAN$25,000 or less per year. The low-income cutoff for a person living alone in an urban area is set at roughly CAN$22,000 (Statistics Canada, Table 11–10-0241-01 – Low income cutoffs (LICOs) before and after tax by community size and family size, in current dollars).:

⁹ These figures are based on the participants’ self-reported health status. The main physical health problems reported were arthritis/osteoarthritis, diabetes, cancer, hemiplegia (stroke) and mobility issues. The mental health problems reported involved anxiety or depressive disorders. These health problems were related to losses of functional autonomy ranging from minor to major.

¹⁰ Facilitated by the lead investigator (Charpentier) and the study coordinator (Soulieres), the meetings were held in different settings: community groups, establishments in the public health and social services network, seniors’ associations, etc.

¹¹ Our recruitment methods, which targeted community organizations working with vulnerable older people, may have contributed to this profile in our sample.

¹² Part of the interview guide was devoted to scenarios (worrisome health problem experienced; lack of food; etc.) in which the respondents were asked to imagine oneself and to indicate, (1) if it concerned a situation that had already occurred or that could realistically happen to them, and (2) which strategies they could envisage to cope with this type of situation.

Additional information

Funding

”Vieillir et vivre seul.e” (Charpentier et al., 2014), funded by the Québec Ami des Aînés program of the Secrétariat aux Aînés (Government of Quebec).”