Loneliness and general health of elderly

In recent years attention to elderly is progressing rapidly in countries. Special attention to their mental and physical need is necessary. Loneliness may occur in all age groups، but this is more a problem peculiar to the elderly. Loneliness is a complex concept، specially affecting the psychosocial well-being of the elderly. The feelings of loneliness have serious consequence on the health of older adults. The purpose of the study was to determine loneliness and general health of members of the elderly pensioners association of Gilan University of Medical Science in Rasht. This study was a descriptive– correlational research. Sampling performed، through easy sampling method. 100 members of pensioners association from both gender (female and male) took part in the study. Data collection instrument was a questionnaire consisted of three parts. Part one was about demographic data، part two about loneliness that was measured by the UCLA loneliness scale، and part three was general health status with 28 questions. Data were analyzed by descriptive-analytical methods، using SPSS 16. In this study it was found that married elderly people (p<0. 02) who were satisfied with living area (p<0. 045) felt less lonely than others. According to the results of this study the elderly who defined their general health status as good felt less lonely (p<0. 00). It was demonstrated that loneliness is an important factor decreasing general health and therefore، early identification of loneliness may help maintain the general health of older adults. Health care professionals should be alert to the association of loneliness and adverse health outcomes.