Lo Loneliness: Th The Un Unspo spoke ken C Crisis risis - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
lo loneliness th the un unspo spoke ken c crisis risis
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Lo Loneliness: Th The Un Unspo spoke ken C Crisis risis - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dec 19, 2023 34 likes •281 views

Lo Loneliness: Th The Un Unspo spoke ken C Crisis risis Cheryl Ryan Chan Jeff Keilson, Advocates Inc. cheryl@personcenteredplanning.com jkeilson@advocates.org Todays Objectives u Understand the scope u Understand the impact u Discuss

slide-1
SLIDE 1

Lo Loneliness: Th The Un Unspo spoke ken C Crisis risis

Jeff Keilson, Advocates Inc. jkeilson@advocates.org

Cheryl Ryan Chan cheryl@personcenteredplanning.com

slide-2
SLIDE 2

Today’s Objectives

u Understand the scope u Understand the impact u Discuss Myths and Misconceptions u Learn strategies families can use for building Circles of Support u Learn strategies support teams can use to shift the care

perspective

u Hear real-life stories about how connections became relationships

slide-3
SLIDE 3

Loneliness and Social Isolation

Loneliness and social isolation are a growing public health epidemic. Consider how much you or someone you know has been affected.

  • More than 50% of people in the United States feel lo

lonely ly on a regular basis

  • 2 in 5 Americans report that they sometimes or always feel their social

relationships are no not m mea eani ning ngful ul

  • Is

Isolati tion and loneliness impacts everyone, including older adults (particularly those living alone), new mothers, people with disabilities, and people living with long term health conditions

  • Lack of personal risk may mean that people do

do not notice the sign gns of isolation in themselves and their family and therefore miss the possibility

  • f making changes when it is easiest.
slide-4
SLIDE 4

The Toll of Loneliness and Isolation:

Impact on Physical and Mental Health

Persistent loneliness causes:

  • cognitive decline, which evidence shows shrinks social networks
  • increases the likelihood of mortality by 26 percent.

Isolation is associated with:

  • increased risk of high blood pressure
  • as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

A recent study from Harvard suggested that thinking skills declined about 20% faster over 12 years in the loneliest people in the study compared with study participants who reported that they were not lonely.

slide-5
SLIDE 5

Impact on Physical and Mental Health (continued)

  • Weakens immune system
  • Impairs sleep
  • Poor social relationships were associated with a 29

percent increase in risk of coronary heart disease and a 32 percent rise in the risk of stroke.

  • Social pain—the painful feelings that follow from social

exclusion—may rely on some of the same neural regions that process physical pain, highlighting a possible physical-social pain overlap and a connection to decline in health.

slide-6
SLIDE 6

Myths & Misconceptions

  • “I don’t want to bother

people”

  • “I’m embarrassed to

ask for help”

  • “I should be able to do

this alone”

  • “What will they think of

me?”

  • “If I ask them to help,

they might not want to”

The internal struggles for families:
  • “We want to help, but

don’t know how”

  • “We might sound

politically incorrect”

  • “We can’t afford to take

this on”

  • “We don’t have the

skills or knowledge”

  • “I don’t know who to

ask”

The external struggles for communities: Societal presumptions:
  • “Since they’re disabled,
they don’t really have anything of value to
  • contribute. They just
need care.”
  • “Loneliness is a
choice.”
  • “They must have family
and friends who love them.”
  • ”Systems are doing a
good job of taking care
  • f their needs and
quality of life.”
slide-7
SLIDE 7

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE IN OUR LIVES

PEOPLE WITHOUT DISABILITIES

?

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

slide-8
SLIDE 8

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE IN OUR LIVES

PEOPLE WITHOUT DISABILITIES

150

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

?

slide-9
SLIDE 9

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE IN OUR LIVES

PEOPLE WITHOUT DISABILITIES

150

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

24

“Somewhere to live, something to do, someone to love: Examining levels and sources of social capital among people with disabilities” Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, December 2016
slide-10
SLIDE 10

Le Let’s chart our own Circles of Support

slide-11
SLIDE 11 Circle of Support Me 1 4 3 2 1. Circle of intimacy 2. Circle of friendship 3. Circle of participation 4. Circle of exchange See next page for descriptions of each area trainer counselor Dr BFF spouse Friend coworker Friend Friend Friend Friend coworker coworker coworker neighbor Study group Workout buddies Book club cousins Aunt & Uncle sisters Teammates cousins Faith community Circle of Support Me 1 4 3 2 1. Circle of intimacy 2. Circle of friendship 3. Circle of participation 4. Circle of exchange See next page for descriptions of each area Teachers Parents siblings Staff Social Worker Case Manager

You and I People with Disabilities

slide-12
SLIDE 12
  • Recognize the seriousness of problem and that there is a

tremendous personal, community and financial cost of isolation

  • Create a real focus on friendship and relationships:

Overcoming barriers and creating opportunities for friendship needs to be a crucial part of support for people with disabilities

  • Prioritize services that tackle loneliness and broaden social
  • pportunities to enable people to fully participate in their

community

  • Establish outcome measures
  • Increase in unpaid people as part of a person’s life and

care team

  • Innovate: research shows that companion animals and

human-animal interaction can facilitate social connections, decrease loneliness, and reduce depression

Strategies to Reduce Isolation

slide-13
SLIDE 13

Turning the Tide: Examples of Positive Change

  • Managed care companies are making health navigators available

to members at risk for social isolation.

  • Health plans are piloting programs that will refer lonely or

isolated adults to community services.

  • Deeming loneliness and social isolation a “treatable disease,”

managed care and health providers are teaming to create innovative programs in neighborhood-based clinics to facilitate interaction among at-risk populations.

slide-14
SLIDE 14

Roadmap to relationships

  • 1. Ask, Listen, Learn
2. Deploy, Recon 3. Create opportunities
slide-15
SLIDE 15

ROADMAP TO RELATIONSHIPS

u ASK, LISTEN, LEARN

STEP ONE: to ask the person who is important to them. Who do they like? Who do they love? Why do they enjoy them? STEP TWO: to assemble or reach out to the people who are currently involved in the person’s life. Ask them to “think of a time when the person was very happy, engaged, having fun, working well, comfortable.” Then ask them to describe the what, where, who, when, and as many details as possible. DON’T ask “what do you think makes the person happy?” STEP THREE: Create a document that lists “the characteristics of people I enjoy,” “the kinds of spaces I enjoy being in,” “the things that are important for me to have when I am with others.” You now have a picture of the person and can begin to take the next step.
slide-16
SLIDE 16

ROADMAP TO RELATIONSHIPS

u ASK, LISTEN, LEARN

WHY SHOULD WE SEEK INPUT FROM OTHERS? Imagine if you were introduced to everyone by just one person…

slide-17
SLIDE 17

All about Cheryl…

Who is in my life

What they know about me

FAMILY I like to go to bed early, wake up early. I speak
  • Japanese. I love live concerts. Not a fan of small
children. CHURCH COMMUNITY I’m a Christian, I love to sing, I don’t like to teach. FITNESS FRIENDS I prefer small groups to large groups, I’m competitive, I hate loud music. DISABILITY COMMUNITY I’m a good public speaker, I’m good at advocacy, I know a lot about autism, I know a lot about person- centered planning. GGA I love rum & coke, I love to try local food/food tours, I love the beach, I like a little alone time each day, I prefer my own room
slide-18
SLIDE 18

Roadmap to relationships

  • 1. Ask, Listen, Learn
  • 2. Deploy, Recon
3. Create opportunities
slide-19
SLIDE 19

ROADMAP TO RELATIONSHIPS

u DEPLOY, RECON

Take that list that has been created. Now assemble or reach out to everyone
  • again. Provide the list and ask them ”Where would these gifts and interests be
welcome in the community?” Head to the spaces that you or others recommend, on your own first. Ask others if they are willing to help you. Take a look at the spaces; what is the environment like? What might be some of the challenges to accessing and/or participating successfully? Write your thoughts down. Talk to the members of that space, without mentioning why you’re there. How
  • ften do they meet? Do they communicate outside of the space? What is the
most fun part of the group? What are the expectations of each participant?
slide-20
SLIDE 20

Roadmap to relationships

  • 1. Ask, Listen, Learn
  • 2. Deploy, Recon
  • 3. Create opportunities
slide-21
SLIDE 21

ROADMAP TO RELATIONSHIPS

u CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

Create a list of the spaces that have been suggested. Assemble or communicate with the team of participants. Ask them if they know anyone in the spaces, if they are willing to make introductions and/or accompany the person to those places. (What opportunities did THIS just create? <hint: new relationship possibilities> Share the list you now have of the spaces you’d like to introduce to the person, with the person. Ask them which ones they would like to try. Make a plan and GO!
slide-22
SLIDE 22

MEET ANDY

THE STORY OF ANDY https://youtu.be/zpK6KKzuFzY What are the takeaways from this story in terms of relationship building?
slide-23
SLIDE 23

THE FINAL STOP ON THE ROADMAP: a message for parents & caregivers

Quote from Andy’s ACTUAL caregiver:

“It wasn’t my job to BE his friend. It was my job to FIND him friends!”

slide-24
SLIDE 24

The cost of ignoring loneliness is far greater than the cost of recognizing it and taking action.

Final thoughts