CONNECT study 2

10-2024 to 09-2028

Background: An increasing number of older people live and die in a nursing home, where residents, families, and staff are frequently confronted with serious illness, dying and bereavement. Despite the potential for enriched social interactions due to the presence of staff, volunteers, fellow residents, and visitors, research shows that residents frequently grapple with social isolation and loneliness. Several factors contribute to a loss of social connection, such as superficial relationships with other residents or staff, feelings of exclusion, challenges in interacting with residents of varying cognitive capacities, and extended periods of inactivity or sleep. Additionally, frailty and limitations in sensory, cognitive or mobility functions that accompany aging can impede interactions. Substantial evidence shows the importance of social connection for residents’ wellbeing throughout the nursing home stay, emphasizing the urgency to address the pervasive issue of social disconnection. 

Current research gaps: Research to date has mainly focused on individual-level and clinical interventions to improve social connection in nursing home residents, but less on how environmental (non-clinical) factors may foster social connection. As defined in the theoretical model for innovating dementia care environments of de Boer et al 1., environmental factors of a nursing home include the social (interactions with other residents, staff, family, the wider community), physical (the built environment, outdoor areas), and organizational (the way care is organized, organizational culture) environment, all influencing people’s daily interactions and everyday functioning. In the context of social connection, it is nevertheless unclear what the impact is of different environmental policies or practices in nursing homes on social connection, and whether and how they impact different types of residents. Considering the complexities involved, specific attention is needed for residents with clinical or sociodemographic vulnerabilities e.g. those at the end of life, with limited cognitive abilities, or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

1. De Boer B, et al. The Homestead: Developing a Conceptual Framework through Co-Creation for Innovating Long-Term Dementia Care Environments. IJERPH. 2020;18(1):57. 

Research Foundation Flanders number: 001525N – 56955