Study provides new insight into loneliness among home care recipients

Study provides new insight into loneliness among home care recipients 
McKnights Home Care; by Paul Katz, MD and Barbara Resnick, PhD; 9/22/25 
... A team of international Investigators, led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, recently reported on the link between loneliness and mortality among home care recipients in Canada, Finland and New Zealand. The study can be found in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (Vol 26 (7) 105687 July 2025). ... Home care recipients may be more prone to loneliness, given mobility and sensory problems that limit engagement in the community.  ... Interestingly, investigators noted that individuals with less informal care had the highest rates of loneliness. An explanation may be that those with less complex health needs requiring less support from family members may lead to more social isolation.
Editor's Note: In your psychosocial assessements, do you address loneliness? In hospice care, imagine the depths of loneliness that an elderly caregiver in the home might be experiencing. What kinds of hospice volunteer referrals and assignments do you routinely use? Get to know your Volunteer Services better. Invite their ideas for creative, cost-effective ways to support home patients and caregivers who struggle with loneliness.