Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of social health and its association with resilience among older adults living alone excluded from the public care service due to their relatively good health. For this cross-sectional study, we surveyed older adults aged between 65 and 80 years using questionnaires to measure the social health status and levels of resilience of the participants. We conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to confirm the association between resilience and social network. Finally, data from 266 community-dwelling older adults were analyzed. We discovered that participants had social networks with a mean score on the Lubben Social Network Scale 18.13 ± 7.98, which means they were socially isolated. The network size (standardized β = −0.149, p < 0.05) and contact frequency (standardized β = 0.136, p < 0.05) correlated positively with higher levels of resilience. A hierarchical model accounted for 48.0% of the variance in resilience. The results suggested that interventions by the public health service to protect social health are needed for older adults living alone even when they are physically, emotionally, and cognitively healthy. In addition, smaller network size and higher frequency of contacts may be considered to strengthen resilience, which is a protective factor in social health.
Highlights
The burden of caring for elderly parents has been transferred from offspring to the public sector in the Republic of Korea [1,2,3]
We found that the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS) score of our sample of community-dwelling older adults living alone excluded from the public care service due to their relatively good health conditions indicated that they were socially isolated
Given that the study sample comprised of community-dwelling older adults who were excluded from the public care service due to their relatively better health condition and socioeconomic status, their poor social health status was noteworthy
Summary
The burden of caring for elderly parents has been transferred from offspring to the public sector in the Republic of Korea [1,2,3]. This transition began with industrialization, urbanization, and nuclearization of family, and affected the traditional family values of supporting older parents. In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea established the Comprehensive Support Center for the Elderly Living Alone to administer community organizations that provide care and support services for older adults living alone [5,6]. Various public care projects have been implemented by community organizations nationwide, such as the home helper dispatch service, the direct care worker dispatch service, and the emergency and safety care service [7,8]
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