How resilience informs social isolation and loneliness among older adults
January 02, 2025
How can resilience thinking inform our understanding of social isolation and loneliness among older adults?
Andrew Wister, professor and director of the Gerontology Research Centre discusses how social isolation and loneliness (SI/L) are linked to reduced psychological well-being, poor mental health, compromised physical health, and higher mortality among older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and marginalized. Resilience and aging research show pathways for individuals, families, and communities to recover from adversity.
This presentation applies the Unified Model of Resilience and Aging (UMRA) to SI/L, integrating psychological, physiological, and social dimensions of resilience. The UMRA explains why some recover better from SI/L by activating internal and external resources. Wister connects risk and protective factors of resilience and SI/L among older adults and their caregivers using the UMRA framework.
