Summarising the Debate - Week 3

Hello Everyone!

Week 3 is well underway and my research and understanding for the topic of my Position Paper have increased dramatically. I have been looking at sources that contrast my opinion towards the subject of my paper. There aren't many around that are reputable but with the ones I have found, it has been interesting to read and come to terms with the authors opinion. 

There are a lot of references which highlight the importance of social connectedness in improving health and well-being, particularly in elderly people. Cornwell and Waite (2009) review a number of these then present their own scientific research showing how "social disconnectedness" and  "perceived isolation" are associated with lower levels of physical health in people aged 57 to 85. They describe social disconnectedness as a lack of contact with others due to a small social network, infrequent social interactions and a lack of participation in social activities and groups. Perceived isolation is characterised as a lack of companionship and support and feelings of loneliness.

Cornwell and Waite's (2009) findings show that social disconnectedness and perceive isolation are associated with worse physical and mental health in the elderly. They state that social disconnectedness is associated with worse physical and mental health, regardless of whether it results in feelings of loneliness or a perceived lack of social support. They conclude that the health policy should take their findings into consideration and make efforts to increase social connectedness and the perceived availability of social resources among older adults.

Cornwell and Waite have taken the point of view that supporting the social well-being of the elderly is important, based on good scientific research. They use data from a nationally representative study of older adults in the USA and carried out statistical tests on the data. Their position is based on science and not on policy or popular or current thinking.

In contrast, the Ministry of Health (2016) does not place a lot of emphasis on supporting the social well-being of elderly people in their Healthy Ageing Strategy. In it's Vision and Priorities for Action section, the Strategy highlights healthy ageing, acute and restorative care, living well with long term conditions, supporting people with high needs and providing respectful end-of-life care. It mentions social connectedness in the text and says that transport solutions are needed to reduce social isolation and improve older peoples ability to participate in their communities and access health and other social isolation in its 15-page Action Plan. There are no sections in the Action Plan related specifically to social well-being.

Given that there is a lot of evidence that social well-being is related to physical well-being in the elderly, it is surprising that the Ministry of Health has taken the position of not prioritising social connectedness. However, the Ministry of Health is a government agency and is probably constrained by government policy, current thinking and government spending or financial allocation. Developing new services and activities to address social connectedness and well-being in older people would increase costs and require higher spending in New Zealand's health sector - something that the current Government does not want to do.

"To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours." - Tia Walker


References

Cornwell, E. Y. and Waite,  L. J. (2009). Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation and Health among Older Adults. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. 50 (1): 31-48.

Ministry of Health. (2016). Healthy Ageing Strategy. Wellington: Ministry of Health.