"Solitude in Senior Years: Examining the Effects of Loneliness on Lifespan and Health Outcomes"

The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society recently published a study that quantifies for the first time the impact of loneliness in old age on life and health expectancy. The research, conducted in Singapore, a country known for its collectivistic culture, sheds light on a pressing issue that affects a significant number of older adults.

In 2018, the UK launched a national strategy for tackling loneliness, and in 2021, Japan appointed a 'Minister of Loneliness'. This study's findings may help galvanize more policies to tackle loneliness among older persons, especially in Singapore where a third (34%) of older citizens and permanent residents perceived themselves to be lonely in a 2016-2017 study.

The study found that the perception of loneliness has a similar impact on two types of health expectancy: remaining years of life lived in a self-rated state of good health and remaining years of life lived without being limited when going about 'activities of daily living'.

At age 80, lonely older persons can, on average, expect to live two to three years less compared to non-lonely peers. This trend continues as age increases. At age 70, lonely older persons can, on average, expect to live three to four years less compared to non-lonely peers, and at age 60, sometimes lonely or mostly lonely seniors can expect to live three to five years less, on average, compared to never-lonely peers.

Interestingly, the proportion of lonely older Singaporeans was lowest (33%) among those with no formal education and highest (38%) among those with higher-than-tertiary education. The proportion of lonely older adults was nearly 10% higher among seniors who lived alone (43%) compared to those who did not live alone (33%).

Assist Prof Malhotra emphasized the population health impact of loneliness and the importance of identifying and managing it among older adults. Assoc Prof Chan noted increased policy interest in addressing loneliness among older adults due to pandemic control measures.

However, there is no specific information available in the provided search results regarding the frequency of loneliness among older adults in Singapore beyond the 2016-2017 study. The study's findings underscore the importance of ongoing research and policy development to combat loneliness among older adults, a group that forfeits potential years of good health due to feelings of isolation.

"Solitude in Senior Years: Examining the Effects of Loneliness on Lifespan and Health Outcomes"