Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: An Age-Friendly Approach

Anagha Kumar; Aldis Petriceks; Andrea Wershof Schwartz

doi:10.1016/j.cger.2025.05.002

Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: An Age-Friendly Approach

Clin Geriatr Med. 2025 Aug;41(3):289-306. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2025.05.002. Epub 2025 Jun 16.

Authors

Anagha Kumar¹, Aldis Petriceks², Andrea Wershof Schwartz³

Affiliations

¹ Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-5674, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: awschwartz@bwh.harvard.edu.

PMID: 40653336
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2025.05.002

Abstract

The goal of this article is to determine how to integrate social isolation and loneliness into the Age-Friendly/Geriatric 5 Ms framework of an older adult's care in order to equip clinicians to address these interrelated domains. By weaving social connection into the foundation of age-friendly care, we aim to guide health care professionals in developing more comprehensive, person-centered strategies that acknowledge the profound impact of social health on aging populations. These connections can be a part of an age-friendly ecosystem to truly improve quality of life for older adults across society.

Keywords: Age-friendly; Dementia; Geriatric; Loneliness; Mentation; Mobility; Multicomplexity; Social isolation; What matters.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Aging* / psychology
Humans
Loneliness* / psychology
Quality of Life*
Social Isolation* / psychology
Social Support