olderpeoplessocialnetworks(1)
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RESEARCHTO PRACTICE
BRIEFING 2
Research to Pracce Briengs bring together lessons learnedfrom the literature on a topical issue in community aged care as aresource for those working in this sector. As in most areas of social
policy and pracce, the research evidence in the literature oncommunity aged care is connually evolving. The Briengs aim todisl key themes and messages from the research and to point topromising and innovave pracces.
An advisory group of academics and expert praconers working inthe area of aged care provide advice and peer review.An advisorygroup of academics and expert praconers working in the area ofaged care provide advice and peer review.
This Briefing has been prepared by the Social Policy Research
Centre in partnership with The Benevolent Society.
Research to Practice Briefings
www.benevolent.org.au
Older peoples participation in social networks is asignificant component of wellbeing. This Briefing focuseson the nature and impact of older peoples socialnetworks, and on how community aged care workers canpromote participation in social networks by older clientsliving in their own homes.
The aim of this Briefing is to draw from the researchevidence of promising and innovative practices that canbe readily adapted and incorporated by care workers andmanagers into their day-to-day work.
Promoting social networksfor older people incommunity aged care
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SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR OLDER PEOPLE 3
Research to Practice Briefing 2
that it means feeling valued and appreciated, isregarded as a signicant component of wellbeing. It
can help maintain morale even in the face of serious
illness and disability, and contribute to movang
physical acvity and making it enjoyable (PMSEIC,
2003). Engagement in social acvies is associated
with opmal cognive and physical funconing and
a rewarding emoonal life. One important benet
is that people can be socially engaged even though
they might have physical limitaons that restrict
their parcipaon in other kinds of acvies, and
this engagement can contribute to a sense of
competence in ways that other acvies cannot.
Social networks can, under some circumstances,
have negave eects on wellbeing because they
may involve conict, unreasonable demands and
disappointments, and they may also be the source
of reinforcement for risky or unhealthy behaviour
(Giummarra et al., 2004). Families in parcular can
be a source of frustraon and resentment, as well
as love and support (Maier & Klumb, 2005; Giles,
Metcalfe et al., 2004).It should also not be forgoen that there are some
people who prefer their own company (Mavandadi,
Rook & Newsom, 2007).
These research observaons indicate that the
queson of maintaining or improving social contacts
and parcipaon to enhance older peoples
wellbeing requires careful understanding and
consideraon of the individual older persons needs
and wishes.
Impact on health and disabilityResearchers have found that posive social
interacons protect against developing dicules
with physical funcons in later life (Mavandadi, Rook
& Newsom, 2007). Numerous studies have shown
that being part of an extensive social network has
a protecve eect on health (Giummarra et al,
2004; Bath & Deeg, 2005; Bath & Gardiner, 2005;
Mavandadi, Rook & Newsom, 2007; Miller-Marnez
& Wallace, 2007). A UK study of older peoples social
engagement and health, and their use of communitycare and medicaon, found that those who were
more socially engaged were less likely to have seentheir family doctor or district nurse in the month
prior to the study (Bath & Gardiner, 2005). Another
study (Zunzunegui et al., 2005) of the associaon
between the ability to undertake acvies of daily
living (ADLs), disability and social es among people
over 65 in three European countries, found that
social es can help to maintain ADL abilies in old
age and even to restore them aer injury or trauma.
Social networks with relatives
A study using the Australian Longitudinal Studyof Ageing data invesgated the impact of social
networks with children, relaves (other than spouse
and children), friends and condants, on less severe
forms of disability among older people (Giles,
Metcalfe et al., 2004). It found that while social
networks overall had a protecve eect, networks
with relaves had a parcularly signicant protecve
eect, both in delaying the onset of disability and in
recovery.
Social networks with friendsTime spent with friends has been found to have
a posive impact on the survival of older people,
whether or not they actually engage in leisure
acvies together. It would seem that it is the mere
presence of other people that is advantageous,
rather than the acvies undertaken (Maier &
Klumb, 2005).
However, it is not clear whether sociability leads to
the survival advantage, or whether people who are
less frail are more likely to be sociable. It could bethat community engagement gives people resources
a sense of meaning, increased condence and
feelings of competence that enable them to
overcome or to fend o physical frailty. On the other
hand, it could be that increasing frailty results in
people having fewer contacts outside the home, and
hence a reducon in their involvement with friends
(Zunzunegui et al., 2005).
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4 SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR OLDER PEOPLE
Research to Practice Briefing 2
Supporting older peoples socialnetworksSupport can be of two kinds, instrumental and
socio-emoonal, and range from providing material
assistance, transport, informaon and physical help,
to expressions of respect and love. However, notall forms of support are benecial. The literature
indicates that it is important that support is enabling,
encouraging and autonomy-enhancing (Rowe &
Kahn, 1987 1997).
People need support that, as far as possible, allows
them to develop their own coping mechanisms to
deal with lifes stresses (Seedsman, 2007a, 2007b)
and does not undermine their autonomy. People
should be encouraged to idenfy and achieve their
own goals and assisted to build on past life strengths
and achievements such as past employment, hobbies
and interests (Hillier, 2007; Lewin & Paerson, 2008).
Service planning and deliveryIt can be dicult for older people to maintain social
contacts and strategies aimed at reducing social
isolaon may be necessary. These strategies should
be planned in consultaon with older people and be
appropriately evaluated (Howat, Iredell et al., 2004;Howat, Boldy, & Horner, 2004).
Intervenons are more likely to be eecve if they
use exisng community resources and contribute
to community capacity (Findlay, 2003). One UK
study found that eecve intervenons to combat
loneliness among older people had a number of
characteriscs. They tended to be group acvies
(rather than one-to-one interacons such as home
vising), long-term, directed towards a parcular
secon of the older populaon, had some element
of parcipant control and oered a wide range ofacvies (Caan & White, 1998).
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SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR OLDER PEOPLE 5
Research to Practice Briefing 2
Role of service providersSocial mobilisaon (i.e. ways of enabling older
people to make connecons with their communies)
involves building social networks, supporng
peoples parcipaon in social acvies, and
fostering social support and mutual aid among older
people.
Some research suggests that the role of community
care professionals is best fullled by creang an
environment that enhances communicaon, builds
trust and mutual respect, and empowers clientsthrough sensive communicaon and support, help
to develop selfawareness, and through access to
resources and informaon (Giummarra et al., 2004).
Socialisaon and social enablement programs that
provide individualised support to socially isolated
older recipients of community care services can
increase peoples feelings of self worth, their
condence in social situaons and thus their ability
to re-engage with the community (Hillier 2007;
Lewin & Paerson 2008). Such programs have usedvolunteers as peer mentors.
A review of services to address social isolaon
among older people reported that befriending
programs have had some success, when they have
a good referral system and trained sta, as well
as telephone support that targets specic high-
risk groups. Reaching specic types of isolated
individuals may be possible through radio programs
and the internet, but their eecveness is as yet
unclear (Bartle, 2007).
Approaches to supporting older peopleIt has been suggested that there are four types of
intervenons in an older persons social networks
therapy, reinforcement, construcon and mediaon.
A therapyintervenon may be required when the
person has some form of personal diculty and
involves the training of the family and friendship
network members by a professional worker. A
reinforcementintervenon may be appropriate
where the persons informal care and supportnetwork has become stressed. It requires the
provision of praccal support services by formalservice providers in order to ease the burden on the
informal carers. A construcon intervenon may
be required by people who have been cut o from
social networks (e.g. recent migrants) and need help
making new contacts. Finally, mediaonmay be
required where there is conict (Litwin, 2007).
Older peoples social networks are not innitely
resourceful and this is especially the case when the
needs of older people are greatest (Litwin, 2007).
Not all intervenons will suit everyone. The type andamount of support needed will vary for each person
and should be tailored to the parcular individual
(Mavandadi, Rook & Newsom, 2007).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander olderpeopleWorking with the individual needs and strengths of
each older client in the context of their family and
community is parcularly pernent for praconers
working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
older people. Culturally empowering services for
Indigenous older people have a number of features
including using appropriate language, establishing
trust by using acceptable mentors or intermediaries,
developing culturally specic protocols for
community networking, and giving families control
over service provision and ensuring parcipaon of
the whole community, not just the family (Morse &
Lau, 2007).
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We help people change their lives
through support and educaon, and
we speak out for a just society where
everyone thrives.
Were Australias rst charity. Were a
not-for-prot and non-religious
organisaon and weve helped people,
families and communies achieve posive
change for 200 years.
New South WalesLevel 1, 188 Oxford StreetPaddington NSW 2021PO Box 171Paddington NSW 2021
T 02 8262 3400F 02 9360 2319ABN 95 084 695 045
Queensland9 Wilson StreetWest End QLD 4101PO Box 5347West End QLD 4101
T 07 3170 4600F 07 3255 2953
www.benevolent.org.auor nd us on
We are The Benevolent Society
www.benevolent.org.au
We welcome feedback on this Briefing.A full list of references can be accessed on The Benevolent Societys website.
The Social Policy Research Centre is a research centre of the Faculty of Arts
and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales. The SPRC conducts
research and fosters discussion on all aspects of social policy in Australia.
t02 9385 7800 eSPRC@unsw.edu.au
2013Originally printed February 2009. Republished April 2013.
Community aged care providers and workers
can enhance the health and wellbeing of
their clients by paying aenon to their
social networks and parcipaon and bycomplemenng praccal care services with
social support strategies.
Effective strategies with individualcommunity care clients include:
careful understanding and consideraon of
individual older peoples needs and wishes
provision of support in ways that enhance
autonomy
taking into account the needs and wishes of
carers/ family members
building on strengths and life achievements,
such as past employment, hobbies and
interests
assisng people to idenfy their own goals
building of self worth and condence
engaging clients in health promoon
acvies such as those that increase
physical acvity, improve nutrion and
improve mental health
using volunteer peers as mentors
to facilitate social engagement and
parcipaon in acvies
addressing praccal barriers such ascommunicaon dicules, cost and
transport
facilitang clients engagement with friends
and with relaves (other than spouse and
children) and
oering a wide range of acvies, which
are long term, group based and tailored to
specic secons of the older populaon.
In the design of social support
strategies, best practice includes: introducing intervenons as part of a wider
strategic approach
targeng specic groups of older people
involving older people themselves in
program planning, delivery and evaluaon
building community capacity by using
exisng community resources as far as
possible and
establishing partnerships with stakeholders
and organisaons.
Practice implications
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1 REFERENCE LIST
Research to Practice Briefing 2
Promoting social networks for older people in
community aged care
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