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EngAGE Survey Report

EngAGE Survey Report

Maria Theresa Dizon

OHSU PSU School of Public Health
AGE 560: Aging and Mental Health
Dr. Bryant Carlson
April 30, 2022
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EngAGE Survey Report

EngAGE Survey Report

Themes to consider for a survey assessing incoming EngAGE residents based on the
EngAGE project and this course’s week 3 readings are: Community connectedness, support
systems/social networks, and measuring loneliness and isolation. New and incoming EngAGE
residents come with the unspoken task of establishing and building up their new community as
they move. Before any engagement with other fellow resident members can occur, establishing
that sense of community between them is critical. The sense of community promotes the feeling
of belonging within the group and members feel that they matter to one another, and that trust
that their needs will be met through the commitment to be together (McMillan & Chavis, 1986).
These elements, as embodied in the Sense of Community Index measure, entail membership,
influence, integration, fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. Measuring sense of
community can lead to insight about the connectedness between residents and how resident
officials can facilitate more community building activities through social engagement.
Social isolation is another element to consider. In the literature, it has been found that
“about one-fourth of community-dwelling older adults are socially isolated, while 35% of adults
45 years and older report feeling lonely” (Blazer, 2020). It is also a public health issue, as
loneliness goes hand in hand with social isolation and increases mortality in older adults. There
has been strong evidence that scoring high on measures of social isolation in later life is
associated with premature death (Blazer, 2020). Additionally, social isolation is associated with
about a 50% increased risk of dementia (National Academies of Sciences, 2020). Even before
becoming an EngAGE resident, older adults already generally experience a lack of social
contact. As incoming residents try to assimilate and feel comfortable in their surroundings, social
isolation can easily occur to due to these life changes.
Pairing with social isolation as a critical element is to measure the quality of social
networks and social lives of residents as well. Social isolation can lead to loneliness for some,
while others can feel lonely without social isolation (CDC, 2021). It would be interesting to
compare these measures side by side, as the feeling of loneliness is not necessarily alleviated
when community members and social networks are present in a residential setting, as evidenced
by research (Newall & Menec, 2019). Measures, such as the Catholic Charities Needs
Assessment, include scaled questions about the social life in the building and throughout the
neighborhood community, the number of building residents known, whether or not they are
attending social events, and if they would like more social events available to them. It assesses
specific relationship connections, such as “Who do you hear from? Are there people that you can
talk to with private matters? Are there people you can call on for help? Do you regularly see
them in person and how often? Are your family and friends present in your life?” It also assesses
network support measure: “Are you in any type of relationships (professional, coworkers,
religious group, family, etc.?” Furthermore, the inclusion of whether residents count on other
residents is important to understand about the quality of their social and support networks. If this
does not exist in the relationship between them, it seems likely that a resident would feel more
isolated due to poor social support.
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EngAGE Survey Report

References

Blazer, D. (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults—A Mental Health/Public Health

Challenge. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(10), 990–991.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1054

CDC. (2021, April 30). Loneliness and Social Isolation Linked to Serious Health Conditions.

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html

McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of

Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1<6::AID-

JCOP2290140103>3.0.CO;2-I

National Academies of Sciences, E. (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults:

Opportunities for the Health Care System. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663

Newall, N. E. G., & Menec, V. H. (2019). Loneliness and social isolation of older adults: Why it is

important to examine these social aspects together. Journal of Social and Personal

Relationships, 36(3), 925–939. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517749045