GILL — Representatives from 12 of the Cooperative Public Health Service Health District’s 15 member towns gathered last week to reflect on the past year’s work to minimize isolation and improve the mental health of the county’s older population.
Along with the pat on the back the member towns received for their work, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ annual celebration at the Schuetzen Verein included presentations from LifePath’s Director of Community Services Lynne Feldman and University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Raeann LeBlanc.
Meg Ryan, a public health nurse with FRCOG’s Cooperative Public Health Service, explained in her opening speech that there is a demographic change happening nationally, and an even larger shift can be seen in Franklin County.
“Our Community Health Needs Assessment identified older adults as our priority population,” she continued. Ryan explained older adults have an increased risk of social isolation and loneliness, which can impact residents’ mental and physical health.
LeBlanc noted that while loneliness and social isolation may have many things in common, loneliness is a feeling and can only be measured objectively, while social isolation is quantitative and can be measured by reported contact with others. While studying 89 older adults in Franklin County with multiple chronic conditions, LeBlanc found that strong social networks help with self-care behaviors, mental health, sense of control and attributed dignity.
Additionally, her study showed that small networks of close relationships are favored by older residents over larger, more informal friendships. LeBlanc found that friendships are a key relationship needed to support people who live alone.
“Loss needs to be addressed as a community,” LeBlanc said, referencing one of her largest takeaways from her research. She noted the study was conducted before the pandemic, so she assumes the problems addressed in her study have only been exacerbated and the needs are more prevalent today.
While LeBlanc explained how important relationships are for the elderly, Feldman discussed the programs LifePath has that address social isolation. For example, LifePath has a mental health outreach team (a group of trained professionals that check ins with elderly residents), a Phone Pal program where volunteers contact seniors by phone, Rainbow Elders (a social group for elders who are part of the LGBTQ+ community), caregiver support groups, and a newly launched home-share program that matches people who are in need of housing with seniors who live alone.
Feldman spoke to how some of these programs represent the only socialization that many seniors in Franklin County receive, making them invaluable for seniors impacted by social isolation.
“I see loneliness as a terminal illness,” said Fritz Vohn, a physician attending FRCOG’s celebration. “Having a nurse or visitor say ‘Nice to see you’ means the world to people.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.