Loneliness and social isolation among older people: the views of community organisations and groups.

Loneliness and social isolation are separate but closely related concepts, whereby loneliness is related to an individual’s subjective evaluation of their social situation, whereas social isolation is an objective appraisal of the extent of an individual’s network [1]. However, this distinction is rarely made by community organizations and groups. Considered together they are associated with poor mental health, in particular depression [2] and most prevalence studies have found that up to a third of older people experience some degree of loneliness in later life [3]. Whilst living alone does not, of course, inevitably lead to loneliness, it is a particular risk factor [4]. Significantly, the number of Australians who live alone is increasing overall and older people are much more likely to live alone than those in younger age groups [5].