Social isolation, loneliness and frailty in older adults have a complex and sometimes mutually reinforcing relationship

A new article examines how social isolation, loneliness and frailty affect one another and the bidirectional relationship they exert as an individual gets older. hey found that physical frailty can be an indicator of future social isolation over time and that loneliness may be both an antecedent and an outcome of frailty. All three can also be self-reinforcing over time: people who are lonely and socially isolated may become frailer, and as they become frailer, their sense of isolation and loneliness grows. This becomes more pronounced as they grow older.