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Symposium

Health Sciences

Recent Innovations in Interventions to Address Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Older Adults

Thursday, November 14, 2024
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
Location: Room 210
CE: 1.5

    Chair(s)

  • Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS (he/him/his)

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Division of Geriatrics
    University of California San Francisco Medical Center
    San Francisco, California, United States

    • Discussant(s)

  • Thomas Cudjoe, MD, MPH, MA (he/him/his)

    Assistant Professor
    Medicine
    Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Baltimore, Maryland, United States

    • Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

  • Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS (he/him/his)

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Division of Geriatrics
    University of California San Francisco Medical Center
    San Francisco, California, United States

  • Da Jiang, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Dept of Special Education and Counselling
    Education University of Hong Kong
    Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Slides

  • Allison Mays, MD, MAS (she/her/hers)

    Assistant Professor, Physician Quality Specialist
    Geriatric Medicine
    Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
    Los Angeles, California, United States

Recent years have witnessed unprecedented national and international calls to action to enhance social connection and reduce loneliness and social isolation among older adults. These calls include a 2020 National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, a 2023 advisory by the Office of the Surgeon General, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Murphy and Representative Flood, and a Commission on Social Connection by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, significant knowledge gaps remain on interventions to address these needs among older adults, particularly for diverse populations, across settings (i.e. health systems, different communities) and locations (nationally and internationally). In this session we will present four interventions that can reduce loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Studies will provide detail on recent innovations in program delivery., with particular attention to adaptations related to the COVID-19 pandemic that have been sustained. The implementation, sustainability, and scaling of interventions will be discussed, including health system-community referral networks, considering recent Medicaid funding opportunities, and new populations served. In addition, the session will include a discussion of differences in approach to interventions in different settings across the United States as well as globally. The session will foster dialogue on ongoing challenges and future directions in intervention development and research.

Loneliness and Social Isolation Interest Group Sponsored Symposium

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand recent innovations in the development and implementation of interventions to address loneliness and/or social isolation in community and health settings.
  • Examine how to sustain successful adaptations in interventions developed in response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and address challenges in recovery efforts.
  • Compare intervention approaches in different settings and populations (community, health system, geographic location).

Presentations:

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    Recent Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities for Peer Programs to Address Loneliness in Older Adults

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS (he/him/his) – University of California San Francisco Medical Center

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    A Stepped-Care Social and Mental Health Engagement Intervention for Older Adult Protective Services Clients
  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    'Helping Alleviate Loneliness in Hong Kong Older Adults' (HEAL-HOA): A Dual Randomized Controlled Trial

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Da Jiang, PhD – Education University of Hong Kong

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    Health System Adoption of Community-Based Exercise for Older Adults to Address Loneliness and Social Isolation

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Allison Mays, MD, MAS (she/her/hers) – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center