Scoping Review of the Literature Social Isolation of Seniors 2013-2014

Introduction

Social isolation is a prevalent phenomenon that has a substantial impact on many aspects of seniors’ lives. As Canada’s population experiences a profound demographic transition via the aging of the baby boom cohort^{Footnote 1}  and lengthening life expectancy, the importance of this issue may become magnified in coming years. An increasing number of seniors may be at risk of social isolation due to such factors as increased probability of living alone, compromised health status, changing family structures, death of family members or friends and retirement from the workplace.

The National Seniors Council (NSC) was directed by Ministers in August 2013 to consult with representatives from the not-for-profit, public and private sectors—as well as seniors themselves—to assess how social isolation affects seniors and to explore ways to prevent and/or reduce it in Canada.

To obtain a broader understanding of the phenomenon, a scoping review assessed relevant literature using the following research questions:

• How does social isolation affect seniors?
• What are the best practices and methods to prevent/reduce the social isolation of seniors in Canada?