Friendly visiting by a volunteer for reducing loneliness or social isolation in older adults: A systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Loneliness and social isolation are currently among the most challenging social issues. Given their detrimental impact on physical and mental health, identifying feasible and sustainable interventions to alleviate them is highly important. Friendly visiting, a befriending intervention whereby older persons are matched with someone who visits them on a regular basis, seems promising. However, it is unclear if face-to-face (F2F) friendly visiting by a volunteer (FVV) is effective at reducing loneliness or social isolation, or both.

Objectives

To assess the effect of F2F FVV on feelings of loneliness, social isolation (primary outcomes) and wellbeing (i.e., life satisfaction, depressive symptom experiencing and mental health; secondary outcomes) in older adults.

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SUBMITTER: Laermans J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10688573 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature