Exploring social isolation in residential care settings
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the role of social isolation in people living with hearing loss and dementia, within residential care settings
IRAS ID
268453
Contact name
Helen Pryce
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
There is evidence to suggest an association between hearing loss in older adults and an increased risk of developing dementia. However, the mechanism that could explain this association is not yet fully understood. One possible mechanism is social isolation. Unaddressed hearing loss in older adults can lead to avoidance of social environments due to high levels of background noise. This creates an environment where a person needs to concentrate very hard on hearing speech, whilst trying to ignore unwanted background noise. Over time, avoidance of these environments can lead to a person becoming socially isolated. There is evidence that social engagement can protect against the risk of developing dementia or reduce the rate at it which it progresses. Therefore prolonged social isolation can lead to reduced stimulation in the cognitive centres of the brain leading to an increased risk of cognitive impairment or worsening of existing dementia.There is a high prevalence of people living with hearing loss and dementia in residential care. This is also a setting where people are particularly vulnerable to experiencing social isolation. The combination of living with hearing loss and dementia in residential care can be detrimental to successful communication. In order to explore the day to day lived experiences of people living with hearing loss and dementia, it is necessary to observe the interactions and communication patterns they experience with other residents, relatives, and staff members. Interviewing participants alongside observations will enable experiences to be captured and interpreted as accurately as possible. The themes arising from the ethnography and interview findings will help inform theory relating to social isolation mechanisms in the context of hearing loss and dementia, within residential care. This provides foundations for future intervention development work that can be used to help reduce social isolation in these settings.
Summary of Results:
Residents experienced social isolation in varying degrees. There are many reasons to explain why this is. This includes internal and external barriers to communication and the reduced opportunities for meaningful conversation. These mechanisms explain how and why social isolation occurs in these settings. This relates to how connected people feel to one another. Social isolation is maintained because of the rigid structure of care systems in prioritising physical care and completing paperwork. When this is combined with the challenges faced by care staff to understand residents with disordered language, and using a medical way to manage hearing loss, the opportunities for meaningful conversation are reduced.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0294
Date of REC Opinion
18 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion