About Social Isolation and Staying Connected
Interested in social engagement and connection? Begin here with these Commit to Connect resources:
- Rural Communities and Building Social Connection for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Examples of programs and resources to increase social engagement in rural areas. - Supporting Social Connection of People Living with Dementia
Examples of programs and initiatives that promote social connection for people living with dementia. - Intergenerational Engagement
Examples of intergenerational engagement programs and initiatives that promote social connection. - Social Isolation: An Overview
A summary of key facts and links to technical assistance and resources related to addressing social isolation. - Getting Started: Resources & Technical Assistance
- Measuring Social Isolation
Tips, recommendations, and lessons learned from collecting and analyzing data on social isolation. - Holiday Resources
Share this flyer in home-delivered meals, on bulletin boards, on your website, or anywhere else!
Tools and Toolkits
- engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults
Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living, that has a wealth of social engagement resources including: best and promising social engagement practices, toolkits and customizable materials and consumer brochures. - National Institute on Aging Outreach Toolkit
More shareable resources including animated graphics, social media posts, and a health care provider flyer. - Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology Tool
LeadingAge. Hands-on resources to help organizations use technology to connect and engage with older adults, including a white paper, selection tool and selection matrix.
Webinar Recordings
- engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults
The engAGED Resource Center holds monthly webinars focused on innovation social engagement programs and practices for older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities. - Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). October 6, 2021. Current research by the University of Pittsburgh on social isolation and loneliness for caregivers of older adults and people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. - Using the National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) to Explore the Experience of Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Rural and Urban People with Disabilities
ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). September 9, 2021. Current research by the University of Montana on social isolation and loneliness for rural and urban people with disabilities. - Never Being Sought after by Anyone for Anything: Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses
ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). August 2021. Current research by Temple University on social isolation and loneliness for individuals with serious mental illnesses. - Social Isolation and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Findings from the 50-Year SCI Longitudinal Aging Study.
ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). July 2021. Current research by the Medical University of South Carolina on social isolation and loneliness for individuals aging with spinal cord injury. - Improving Social Connection Among People with Disabilities
Administration for Community Living. March 2021. Current research on social isolation and loneliness for people with disabilities, as well as strategies for social engagement and connection. Transcript, Slides
Research and Articles
- Evidence-Based and Promising Practices for Intergenerational Service Delivery Literature Review
This summary shares promising and evidence-based strategies with intergenerational program outcomes. - COVID-19 Pandemic Underscores the Need to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness
The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy discusses the nationwide health crisis of social isolation and loneliness and lists national networks that provide resources.
Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)/No Wrong Door (NWD) System Resources
- Social Isolation Screening Resources for ADRCs/NWD Systems
This document provides information on tools ADRCs/NWD Systems can use to screen for social isolation or loneliness. Names of the screenings, their associated questions and information on the NWD states/organizations using the resource are included. - Social Connectedness Template for ADRC/NWD Systems
ADRCs and NWD Systems may use this template, available in PDF and Word formats, on social connectedness to edit with their own state/local information for public dissemination. - Social Connectedness Handout
This handout provides definitions for key terms (e.g. social connectedness), recommendations and resources on addressing social connectedness, and includes a template to record notes on discussion questions on social connectedness. - NWD Podcast Series: Mitigating Isolation and Fostering Social Connectedness During COVID-19
Christina Neill Bowen (Independent Consultant, Lewin Group) and Sara Link (Virginia’s NWD System) discuss strategies to support social connectedness during COVID-19.