Loneliness of Elderly People as a Social and Medical Problem

Overview

The proportion of elderly people in the Czech population is increasing. Old age is often associated with loneliness,which significantly leads to a medical institutionalization. In addition to that, depression, dementia, and alcoholabuse may occur as a result and cause of further deterioration. We describe a case of a woman who has spentsubstantial part of the last five years of her life being hospitalized at departments of psychiatry, neurology, andinternal medicine respectively. Social factors played an important role in this development. The vicious circle ofloneliness, depression, and institutionalization of elderly peoplemay be overcome in several ways, e.g. by an adequatephysical, mental, and social activity, self-education, psychotherapy, outpatients nursing care, and an early diagnosticsand treatment of depression.

Key words:
old age, loneliness, hospitalization, depression.