| The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of loneliness in community-dwelling older adults and to understand their daily practices in coping with loneliness. The sample consisted of eight women and four men between the ages of 74 and 98 years. Participants had to be cognitively intact, scoring less than 12 on the Short Blessed Test. Participants who scored greater than 10 on the Geriatric Depression Scale, Short Form, were excluded to avoid conflating loneliness with severe depression. Data collection tools included the UCLA Loneliness Scale and a demographic survey. Interview guides included the History Interview, the Loneliness Coping Interview, and the Daily Life Interview. Interviews were conducted sequentially every 3-4 weeks for a total of three visits and 4 interviews per participant.;A critical finding was that many participants experienced loneliness as a result of disrupted meaningful engagements, due to age-related changes, as well as other losses, including death of spouse, retirement, and giving up the car. Two paradigm cases, as well as themes representing the loneliness and coping experience emerged. Participant coping practices with loneliness included: reaching out to others,helping those in need, and seeking companionship with pets. Loneliness as an embodied experience showed up in participants' accounts as fatigue, tension, withdrawal, and emptiness. Some participants described sleeping as a form of withdrawal which helped them to temporarily forget their loneliness.;Many older adults are at risk for loneliness because of declining health and other age-related losses that prevent them from remaining engaged in meaningful relationships. Nurses can screen for loneliness to identify those at risk and can intervene to help older adults maintain connections. Recommendations for nurses caring for lonely older adults included: active listening, vision and hearing screenings, transportation needs, home visits, support groups, telephone/lifeline services, computer-assisted social support, pet therapy, volunteering, and engagement in social activities. These interventions will support social integration in older adults by helping older adults remain engaged and active. |
