[Effect of increased social support on the well-being of cognitively impaired elderly people].
Social relationships are an important factor for maintaining life satisfaction in elderly people. Little is known, however, about the influence of increased social support towards the well-being of cognitively impaired people. This is why two comparative studies in Switzerland and Austria, with 84 cognitively impaired individuals (aged between 65 and 98) with in-patient treatment, used a control group design to examine whether increased social support would have a positive effect on the well-being of these individuals. To this end, interventions in the form of emotional social support through volunteer visitors for dementia patients were carried out. In both studies, a positive association between increased social support by volunteer assistants and well-being emerged. The investigations show that social support and attention are generally registered and perceived as creating a pleasantly soothing feeling in cognitively impaired people.
Oppikofer
S
S
Zentrum für Gerontologie, Universität Zürich, Sumatrastraße 30, 8006 Zürich, Schweiz. sandra.oppikofer@zfg.uzh.ch
Albrecht
K
K
Martin
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013557:Switzerland; D014789:Visitors to Patients; D014838:Volunteers