Gerontology Commons^™

Social Isolation: Do Helpers Help Ward It Off?, Kirsten Young Brown

MA Research Paper

Social isolation is particularly relevant among elderly individuals who are more likely to need care and help with their physical and living needs. Little is known about whether receiving help correlates with social isolation in older adults living at home as often there is no focus from caregivers and helpers on older adults' social needs. Using data from the 2018 US National Health and Aging Trends Study, a sample of adults aged 65 plus on Medicare/Medicaid (N=4,321), I examine the relationship between social isolation and help. I estimate ordinary least squares regression models to test the association between receiving help …