Technological interventions for loneliness and social isolation among older adults: a scoping review protocol

Ian Fyffe,Eireann O’Dea,Andrew Wister

doi:10.1186/s13643-021-01775-6

Abstract

BackgroundLoneliness and social isolation are prevalent public health concerns among community-dwelling older adults. One approach that is becoming an increasingly popular method of reducing levels of loneliness and social isolation among older adults is through technology-driven solutions. This protocol outlines a research trajectory whereby a scoping review will be initiated in order to illustrate and map the existing technological approaches that have been utilized to diminish levels of loneliness and social isolation among community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older. We will address the question: what are the most common and less used technological approaches to reduce loneliness and social isolation among community-dwelling older adults?MethodsA scoping review of Academic Search Premier, AGEline, Global Health, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases will take place using our search terms including the following: loneliness, social isolation, older adults, elderly, Aged, Aged 80 and over, program, evaluation, trial, intervention, technology, computer, information and communication technology, internet, and robot. The initial electronic search will be supplemented by reviewing the reference lists and review articles to identify any missing studies. To meet study inclusion criteria, intervention studies had to pertain to community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older, include technological interventions, include loneliness and/or social isolation as outcome variables, and be written in the English language. Two parallel independent assessments of study eligibility will be conducted for the title, abstract, and full-text screens. Any disagreement will be resolved by consensus and a third reviewer consulted to make a decision if consensus is not achieved initially. Finally, the amalgamation of results will be an iterative process whereby reviewers will refine the plan for presenting results after data extraction is completed so that all of the contents of the extraction may be included in the results.DiscussionThe information gleaned in this scoping review will be essential to understand the degree to which technological interventions influence social isolation and loneliness among older adults and identify gaps for further research.

Highlights

Loneliness and social isolation are prevalent public health concerns among community-dwelling older adults
Study objectives The objective of this scoping review is to illustrate and map the existing technological approaches that have been utilized to diminish levels of loneliness and social isolation among community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older
We intend on addressing the research question: what are the most common and less known technological approaches to reduce loneliness and social isolation among community-dwelling older adults? This will be achieved by identifying and mapping the concepts used in published works, and evaluating the types and quality of data from each source in a format that follows from our study objective [2, 27]

Summary

Introduction

Loneliness and social isolation are prevalent public health concerns among community-dwelling older adults. These social-psychological contexts have been associated with lower access to health care services, and lower health care utilization in older age [29] For these reasons, many community and long-term care organizations that serve older adults have developed outreach programs that aim to reduce levels of loneliness and social isolation through technologically driven solutions [3, 5]. Many community and long-term care organizations that serve older adults have developed outreach programs that aim to reduce levels of loneliness and social isolation through technologically driven solutions [3, 5] These technologically driven solutions include, but are not limited to, interventions such as internet and communication technology (ICT), telephone, social media (e.g., Facebook), videoconference technology (e.g., Zoom), robotics (e.g., robotic companions), and video gaming (e.g., Nintendo Wii). While the program evaluation literature in this area is not developed to the level that allows for in-depth metaevaluation or meta-analyses, there is opportunity for a scoping review to identify technological approaches to reducing loneliness and social isolation that show promise

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Conclusion