Abstract:

Background:
Social isolation and loneliness among older adults are a critical public health concern. The social distancing measures implemented worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb community transmissions of the virus made the situation worse. While there is evidence of health implications of social isolation and loneliness for certain populations, no scoping reviews could be located that focused on the topic among community-dwelling older adults during this pandemic.

Methods:
Using Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR checklist, the following research question guided this scoping review: What is reported in the current literature about the health implications of social isolation and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic? CINAHL, Medline (OVID), and Emcare were searched for refereed journal articles that were published in English between March 2020 and August 2023 that reported research results on the topic. A hand search of key journals and reference lists was performed. Following a multi-level screening process, a total of 26 studies were included in the final sample. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the extracted data.

Results:
The scoping review results revealed that older adults experienced a decline in physical activity, nutrition, and sleep; adverse effects on mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms and anxiety); and a decline in social health owing to reduced social networks. Noteworthy are the positive coping strategies adopted by older adults to mitigate the implications of social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implications:
The results highlight the importance of interprofessional education to equip healthcare, social service, and settlement service providers with the knowledge and skills to identify older adults at risk of social isolation and loneliness, and provide support in a timely manner. Education related to digital literacy skills among older adults is also of significance. Future research is needed among various ethnocultural groups across diverse geographical settings to assess the implications of these interventions in addressing social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

Keywords:

Health, loneliness, older adults, scoping review, social isolation.