Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Auckland, Takapuna, New Zealand.
Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2021 May;33(5):481-493. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220000393. Epub 2020 Apr 15.
The number of older people choosing to relocate to retirement villages (RVs) is increasing rapidly. This choice is often a way to decrease social isolation while still living independently. Loneliness is a significant health issue and contributes to overall frailty, yet RV resident loneliness is poorly understood. Our aim is to describe the prevalence of loneliness and associated factors in a New Zealand RV population.
A resident survey was used to collect demographics, social engagement, loneliness, and function, as well as a comprehensive geriatric assessment (international Resident Assessment Instrument [interRAI]) as part of the "Older People in Retirement Villages Study."
RVs, Auckland, New Zealand.
Participants included RV residents living in 33 RVs (n = 578).
Two types of recruitment: randomly sampled cohort (n = 217) and volunteer sample (n = 361). Independently associated factors for loneliness were determined through multiple logistic regression with odds ratios (ORs).
Of the participants, 420 (72.7%) were female, 353 (61.1%) lived alone, with the mean age of 81.3 years. InterRAI assessment loneliness (yes/no question) was 25.8% (n = 149), and the resident survey found that 37.4% (n = 216) feel lonely sometimes/often/always. Factors independently associated with interRAI loneliness included being widowed (adjusted OR 8.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.15-16.48), being divorced/separated/never married (OR 4.76; 95% CI 2.15-10.54), poor/fair quality of life (OR 3.37; 95% CI 1.43-7.94), moving to an RV to gain more social connections (OR 1.55; 95% CI 0.99-2.43), and depression risk (medium risk: OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.53-4.35; high risk: OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.47-11.95).
A considerable proportion of older people living in RVs reported feelings of loneliness, particularly those who were without partners, at risk of depression and decreased quality of life and those who had moved into RVs to increase social connections. Early identification of factors for loneliness in RV residents could support interventions to improve quality of life and positively impact RV resident health and well-being.
选择搬到退休村 (RV) 的老年人数量正在迅速增加。这种选择通常是减少社交孤立的一种方式，同时仍能保持独立生活。孤独是一个严重的健康问题，会导致整体脆弱，但 RV 居民的孤独感还未得到充分理解。我们的目的是描述新西兰 RV 居民中孤独的流行程度及其相关因素。
一项居民调查用于收集人口统计学、社会参与、孤独感和功能信息，以及全面的老年评估（国际居民评估工具 [interRAI]），作为“退休村老年人研究”的一部分。
RV，奥克兰，新西兰。
参与者包括居住在 33 个 RV 中的 RV 居民（n = 578）。
采用两种招募方式：随机抽样队列（n = 217）和志愿者样本（n = 361）。通过多元逻辑回归确定孤独的独立相关因素，使用比值比 (OR)。
参与者中，420 名（72.7%）为女性，353 名（61.1%）独居，平均年龄为 81.3 岁。interRAI 评估的孤独感（是/否问题）为 25.8%（n = 149），居民调查发现 37.4%（n = 216）有时/经常/总是感到孤独。与 interRAI 孤独感相关的独立因素包括丧偶（调整后的 OR 8.27；95%置信区间 [CI] 4.15-16.48）、离婚/分居/未婚（OR 4.76；95% CI 2.15-10.54）、生活质量差/一般（OR 3.37；95% CI 1.43-7.94）、搬到 RV 以获得更多社交联系（OR 1.55；95% CI 0.99-2.43）和抑郁风险（中等风险：OR 2.58，95% CI 1.53-4.35；高风险：OR 4.20，95% CI 1.47-11.95）。
相当一部分居住在 RV 中的老年人报告感到孤独，特别是那些没有伴侣、有抑郁风险、生活质量下降以及那些为了增加社交联系而搬到 RV 的人。早期识别 RV 居民孤独的因素可以支持干预措施，以提高生活质量，并对 RV 居民的健康和幸福感产生积极影响。
