LONELINESS is a ‘persistent and powerful’ factor impacting wellbeing among Ireland’s older population a new study has found.
A report by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) released this week reveals that Ireland’s older population is facing “challenging times”.
By measuring the same information every two years, TILDA observes and reports on patterns and changes in health social and economic characteristics of older adults in Ireland.
Their most recent ‘Wave 6’ study, drew on 14 years of longitudinal data from over 8,000 adults aged 50 and older, living in Ireland.
The TILDA report has found loneliness to be a key factor impacting wellbeing among Ireland's elderly (Pic: Rolling News)If found “widespread unmet need” among the elderly, in key areas such as cardiovascular disease prevention, falls and fracture care, osteoporosis treatment, chronic pain, and mental health.
Its findings also indicate that many older adults remain undiagnosed or inadequately treated for health conditions, while loneliness also presented itself as a key factor impacting Ireland’s older community.
“Loneliness has emerged as a persistent and powerful factor influencing the health and wellbeing of older adults,” the report authors say.
“The study tracked how loneliness has affected older adults in Ireland over 14 years, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” they explained.
“Loneliness scores more than doubled during the pandemic, however levels and frequency of loneliness returned to pre-pandemic levels by Wave 6,” they added.
“Despite being quite static over time, a significant proportion of older adults experience loneliness and this experience is associated with poorer health outcomes including functional limitations, poorer self-rated health, and a higher number of depressive symptoms.”
The study also explored the scale of undiagnosed and poorly managed health conditions among older adults.
It found a “significant proportion of older adults remain undiagnosed or under-treated for key conditions”, which included hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and chronic pain.
“This is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging report TILDA has produced to date,” Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator of TILDA, said.
“It's the first time we’ve brought together such an extensive, longitudinal view of the key issues shaping the lives of adults in Ireland.
“From loneliness and emotional wellbeing to healthcare access and the realities of caregiving, these are topics that matter deeply to the individual, but also to health and social care.
“What makes the Wave 6 findings so compelling is that the majority of the issues we’ve identified, like untreated hypertension, high cholesterol, chronic pain, and depression, are largely modifiable.
“These are not inevitable aspects of ageing; they are challenges we can address with the right health and social care systems in place.
“This study shines a light on where immediate, evidence-based action can transform outcomes for older adults in Ireland.”
See More: Elderly, Ireland, Loneliness, Report, TILDA
