Social Isolation in Older Adults
2022-2023
The growing prevalence of social isolation in the United States was recognized as a risk to public health years before the COVID pandemic. IMPH, in partnership with the SC Department on Aging, convened a taskforce from 2022 to 2023 comprised of stakeholders from across South Carolina to collaboratively identify approaches to address social isolation in older adults.
In June 2023, IMPH released a taskforce report: Addressing Social Isolation in Older Adults as a Determinant of Health, which includes state-specific recommendations to reduce social isolation in older adults. To continue the work, the Office for the Study of Aging at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina formed an inclusive, ongoing coalition titled South Carolina’s Operation to Confront Social Isolation and Loneliness (SOCIAL Aging).
DEFINITIONS
Social Isolation: objectively being alone, having few relationships or infrequent social contact.
Loneliness: subjectively feeling alone from a discrepancy between one’s desired level of connection and one’s actual level.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663.
Timeline
Steering Committee Meetings: Oct. 2022 – April 2023
Taskforce Meetings: Oct. 2022 – April 2023
Final Report: June 2023
Monthly Meeting Materials
October 2022
November 2022
January 2023
February 2023
March 2023
April 2023
Steering Committee
The Social Isolation in Older Adults Taskforce is chaired by MaryGail Douglas, former South Carolina Representative. MaryGail served as the Director of the local Council on Aging from 1980-1997 and President of the South Carolina Association of Council on Aging Directors from 1988-1989. In 1995, Representative Douglas was selected as a Charter Member of the Eldercare Trust Fund and served in that capacity for three years. While serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 41st District from 2013-2017, MaryGail was the voice for those she represented. Representative Douglas has always sought out credible information to make informed decisions to support the people of our state in an honorable way.
The Social Isolation in Older Adults Taskforce is guided by a ten member Steering Committee, including state leaders and subject matter experts.
To learn about our taskforce team, view the Social Isolation in Older Adults Taskforce Member List.
Members of the Steering Committee
Ann Lewis
Chief Executive Officer, CareSouth
Jessica Seel, MPH
Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives and Workforce, South Carolina Office of Rural Health
Andrew Boozer
Executive Director, Senior Resources, Inc.
Elexias Cotton MSW, MHA
Practice Compliance Coordinator-Adult Advocacy Division, South Carolina Department of Social Services
Charmaine Fuller Cooper, MPA
State Director, AARP
Lori Phillips, MPH, MCHES
Director, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Jennifer Brewton, LMSW
Caregiver and Alzheimer’s Resource Divisional Manager and Family Caregiver Support Program Manager, South Carolina Department on Aging
Megan Byers, LMSW
Co-Director, Office for the Study of Aging, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
Shelia Cotten, PhD
Associate Vice President for Research Development, Clemson University
Rowan Goodrich, MS, RD, LD
Nutritionist, South Carolina Department on Aging
Contact
For more information, contact Taryn Farrell.