The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact isolation has on mental health, which in turn affects physical health. During my global health immersion as a volunteer at the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital emergency room, I observed many older adults suffering from acute pain. Many of these older adults stayed in the emergency room alone for hours. Because of my experiences, I became interested in how mental health, isolation, and pain management all play a role in the usage of emergency rooms by older adults. A literature review was conducted on this topic. The top three chief complaints of older adults in the emergency room include chest pain and abdominal pain. Pain and mental illnesses often go hand in hand, with half of people who suffer from pain meeting the criteria for depression. Stress and persistent feelings of loneliness also affect physical health. Social isolation is defined as a lack of social connections, whereas loneliness is a feeling that people experience. Older adults arrive at the emergency room as a result of many intersecting and contributing factors. Mental health, isolation, physical health, and pain all contribute to health outcomes in older adults. Strikingly, loneliness and social isolation have been found to be as severe a risk factor for premature mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. New interventions such as CAPABLE have been developed to help older adults age gracefully in their own homes. Participants saw improvements in their activities of daily living, pain, and depression. While the goal is to avoid the need for emergency care, geriatric emergency departments are designed to meet the specific and complex needs of older adults when care is needed. Interventions such as these can support older adults in healthy aging.
Authors: Juliana Zacher, Suzanne Kunkel, Ph.D., Paul Flaspohler, Ph.D.
Advisors: Suzanne Kunkel, Sociology and Gerontology; Paul Flaspohler, Psychology
You must be logged in to post a comment.