Socially isolated elderly people who are hospitalised are more likely to suffer disability or death

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-09-08 01:00

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US scientists say elderly people who were socially isolated before being admitted to hospital were more likely to suffer disability or death than hospitalised elderly people who were not socially isolated. For each one-point increase in a social isolation scoring system, risk of disability increased by seven per cent, while risk of death increased by 14 per cent, the researchers say. The findings on deaths were based on data from 997 people, while the findings on disability were based on data from 648 people. Although this type of study cannot show that isolation actually caused the worse outcomes, the authors say there is a need to develop social isolation screening and intervention frameworks for older adults with critical illness.