Evidence base
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Review and Commentary of a National Academies Report
What it found
This 2020 commentary reviews the National Academies consensus report on social isolation and loneliness in older adults, written for a clinician audience. It argues for routine assessment of isolation within clinical settings and discusses the practical requirements such assessment would involve.
Why it matters for practice
Useful as a bridge document between the underlying National Academies evidence and frontline clinical practice, since it translates a broad consensus report into what a clinician would actually need to change. It does not itself generate new evidence on isolation, so should be read alongside the source report rather than instead of it.