Abstract
Loneliness and social isolation are reaching epidemic proportions in both children and adults, despite the increasing connectedness in our twenty-first century world. As a growing number of studies reveal their detrimental impact on physical and mental health, identifying and investing in feasible and sustainable interventions to alleviate social isolation and feelings of loneliness is of prime importance. Friendly visiting, a befriending intervention whereby older persons are matched with someone who visits them on a regular basis, seems to be a realistic and sustainable option for providing social support. However, until this day, it remains unclear if friendly visiting by a volunteer is effective at reducing loneliness and social isolation. Therefore, this systematic review aims to answer the following research question: what is the effect of friendly visiting by a volunteer on feelings of loneliness and social isolation (primary outcomes) and wellbeing (i.e. life satisfaction, depressive symptom experiencing and mental health; secondary outcomes) in older adults? The results of this review may provide useful information to policy-makers that are preparing to take on one the most challenging social issues facing our ageing society.
Highlights
Among the different existing interventions, friendly visiting, a befriending intervention whereby older persons are matched with someone who visits them on a regular basis, seems to be a realistic and sustainable option for providing social support
By systematically searching for individual studies, this review will answer the following research question: What is the effect of friendly visiting by a volunteer on feelings of loneliness and social isolation and wellbeing in older adults?
As this review aims at investigating the effect of face‐to‐face social interaction with others, interventions delivered via computerised systems or telephone will be excluded as well
Summary
1.1 | Description of the condition by factors such as mobility impairments, unemployment, or deteriorating health (Steptoe, Shankar, Demakakos, & Wardle, 2013). Older adults experience less opportunities to meet people and may face limitations in financial resources, making it harder to create and maintain social contacts Besides these environmental factors, health issues and difficulties with mobility represent additional barriers to developing meaningful social ties. The included studies investigated an extremely diverse range of interventions, delivered either in the community setting or in care homes and residential facilities Despite their broad scopes, none of these existing (overviews of) systematic reviews have allowed to make clear statements on the effectiveness of friendly face‐to‐face visiting by a volunteer to the generalisable older population, that is, older adults that do not suffer from any serious physical or mental illness. Reviews that study the effects of feasible and sustainable interventions, such as friendly visiting by a volunteer, on loneliness, social isolation and wellbeing, may provide useful information to the minister and other governments and organisations that are preparing to face the challenge
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
