Measuring the impact
of loneliness
interventions
Age Action Alliance – 24th June
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Project Overview
To develop a new tool, or set of tools, to help
service providers to measure the impact of their
work on levels of loneliness in older people.
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Project Outcome
Tool should:• Be simple
• Be flexible
• Produce comparable results
• Be sensitive
• Be practical
• Be empowering
• Be valid
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Project Plan
Tasks
April
May
Steering Group meetings
Analysis of existing tools
Focus groups with older people
Development workshops
Piloting of prototype
Launch of tool(s)
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Key Issues
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What is being measured – loneliness / isolation /
wellbeing?
For what purpose:•
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Practitioner
Performance management
Commissioner / Funder evaluation (cost and quality)
Academic study
• What context is measurement like to take place?
• How are we to measure?
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baseline, when, what type, how asked, how many
• How valid will measurement be?
• What is our ‘theory of change’?
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Focus Group Discussions
• 4 focus groups
• 36 older people
• Semi structured discussions, addressing
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Perceptions of lonely people
Language used to talk about loneliness
Type of questions used
How questions should be asked and frequency
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Perceptions of lonely people 1
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Lots of fear:•
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I fear of getting into a tied commitment
Some who are desperately lonely cling on
It’s too much for ordinary people, needs professional
involvement
When some people say they are lonely other people back
off
Concern about ability to help:• Some people who are lonely just aren't that friendly and it
is therefore difficult to deal with them
• I feel powerless because you cant help them
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Perceptions of lonely people 2
• Some distaste:•
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Sometimes people just want others to "do everything
for them" - and you can get a bit tired of that.
Some of them you can see why people don't want to
go visit them
Sometimes they are not pleasant people to visit
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Perceptions of Lonely People 3
• Some compassion:•
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I feel sorry for them
They have no communication with other people which
is sad
They can be frightened of expressing how they feel
Lonely people can worry about being a nuisance
An older person who is lonely is still someone with
something to offer
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Language
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Sometimes when people say they are lonely other people back away - I think
it would be different if we could find other language
Other words
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Isolated
Forgotten
Feeling unhappy
Insecure
Abandoned
Talk instead about:•
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‘wanting more company’
‘what would you like to do more of’
Help people understand where they get their energy from - some people
(introverts) get it from internal reflection - others (extroverts) get it
from other people - there is no 'shame' attached to this way of framing
things
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Questioning 1
Type of questioning:• Better for questions to be constructed 'positively' otherwise unlikely to be answered honestly by the
person because it is like they would be admitting that
there is something wrong with them
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Negative questions can make you feel extremely
vulnerable
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Questioning 2
How many:•
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Depends on the question
Depends on the person asking and their attitude
It is so important that they are not patronising
You need to allow people to ask quite a few questions if they
are then going to be able to help you
Ask as many as you like – I wouldn’t mind
Being able to give some context to my answer would be
important
Have a list and just ‘go with the flow’ until the person asks you
to stop
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Questioning 3
When to ask:•
Wouldn't ask any questions on the first visit - would need to be 'in the early stages, which
could be several weeks in before it would be appropriate
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Ask them to reflect on their experience - how had it gone? Has it made a difference?
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Likely to get the best answers ten or twelve weeks down the line when they are mote
engaged and more confident about the difference in how they are feeling
Not on the first meeting, but in the “early stages”
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Maybe after a week or so, but only 3 or 4 questions at this stage
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If early on, focus on practical rather than personal questions – try to not be too threatening
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When someone feels that they belong, you could ask around 10-12 questions
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Questioning 4
How to ask• Use a spectrum of "smiley faces" as a measure that
people can judge themselves against
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Don't expect that you can get someone to fill a form
and sign it
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Mustn’t complete the questions as a type of ‘tick box’
approach
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Existing Survey Tool Analysis
• Main existing survey tools
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Friendship scale
Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale
UCLA (various versions)
Social Wellbeing Scale
Public Health Outcome Indicator
De Jong Gierveld
ASCOT
Ryff Scale
Older People’s Outcome Star
Abbreviated Duke Social Support Index
• 101 different questions identified
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Categorisation of Questions
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About competence to make and sustain relationships
About loneliness feeling
About number of social contacts
About change in situation
About quality of social contact
About 'fitting in'
About availability of support in a crisis
About personality type
About engagement in wider community
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk
Type of Questions
Question
I am no longer close to anyone
Classification
Change
I find my circle of friends too limited
Number
My interests and ideas are not shared by those around me
Fitting in
There is no one I can turn to
Support
I cannot tolerate being so alone
Feeling
I am an outgoing person
Personality
I feel like I belong to something I call community
Community
It is difficult for me to make friends
Competence
www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk