title: Social isolation in older adults who are frequent users of primary care services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe older adults who are frequent users of primary care services and to explore associations between the number of primary care visits per year and multiple dimensions that define social isolation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mailed, cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  An urban academic primary care practice in Kingston, Ont.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients aged 70 years and older who attended 12 or more appointments in the previous year with residents, physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, or registered practical nurses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Social isolation (size of close social network, loneliness, satisfaction with social participation, frequency of social participation), past and future need for health services related to social issues, and health and functional variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants reported relatively low levels of loneliness, with a mean (SD) score of 4.1 (1.3) out of 9. Overall, 18.9% of participants reported having a small close social network, 45.9% of participants wanted to do more social activities, and 57.5% of participants were isolated according to at least 1 indicator. Some participants (23.1%) had received primary care services related to social issues, and most participants (54.5%) wanted these services in the future, including receiving information about other health services or community resources, or having discussions about loneliness, relationships, or social activities. Number of primary care visits was not associated with any of the 4 indicators of social isolation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social isolation in older, frequent users of primary care services might be more common than previously thought, particularly the aspect of dissatisfaction with social participation. Expanded primary care services and referrals to other services might help to address this population's desires for services related to social issues. Future research could examine the social needs of older primary care attenders and the feasibility of providing related interventions in primary care settings.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. handc@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Carri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hand
authors.affiliation: Associate Director of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy and Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McColl
authors.affiliation: Professor in the departments of family medicine and public health sciences and Director of the Centre for Studies in Primary Care at Queen's University.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birtwhistle
authors.affiliation: Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Assistant Director of the Centre for Studies in Primary Care at Queen's University.
authors.forename: Jyoti A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kotecha
authors.affiliation: Nurse practitioner in the Queen's Family Health Team and Nurse Practitioner Program Site Coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine and School of Nursing at Queen's University.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batchelor
authors.affiliation: Physician Lead in the Queen's Family Health Team and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's University.
authors.forename: Karen Hall
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Barber
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019058:Community Networks; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009864:Ontario; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D012934:Social Isolation; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires