Image of senior woman with a mask looking wistfully out a door

Nursing home operators with facilities in socially isolated neighborhoods are at an increased risk of losing residents based on findings from a new study published in JAMA.

A recent analysis conducted by a Boston-based research team found that long-term care residents in facilities located in areas with high levels of social isolation have higher mortality rates than residents in facilities in places that have more social contact. 

Findings showed residents entering facilities in neighborhoods with the highest levels of social isolation among older adults had a 17% higher risk of mortality compared with those in neighborhoods with the lowest levels. 

Social isolation among seniors has been an ongoing topic among the long-term care industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s connection with depression, anxiety and cognitive decline among nursing home residents.

Researchers said the findings suggest the need for operators to place special attention and strategies to keep long-term care residents connected to their friends and family for optimal health. 

“Such measures could eventually contribute to improved health trajectories in the US population that is increasingly aging and at growing risk of entering LTC facilities,” authors Chanhyun Park, Ph.D., Daniel Kim, MD, DrPH, and Becky Briesacher, Ph.D., concluded.