At Happier At Home Care we are not only dedicated to our clients physical needs, we also care for their social and emotional needs as well. Our caregivers go to great lengths to enhance their client’s quality of life. Whether it be taking them to appointments or social events outside of their home or with activities within their home, our caregivers engage with their clients on a personal level, thus helping them to live Happier At Home! 

Social frailty is defined as being at risk of losing or having lost sufficient social support, activities or resources required to fulfill basic social needs. Social frailty contributes to older adults vulnerability. 

Recent studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between older adults Social Frailty and their physical frailty. For example, if an older adult is isolated in their home with no access to outside help or support it increases their risk for falls, disability, hospitalization, nursing home placement and an earlier death.  

In the United States there has been an increased interest in how an older adults social life influences health outcomes. It shows a need for a fuller picture of our seniors life circumstances so as to prevent further decline. Adults over the age of 75 are most vulnerable to social frailty. 

Oak Street Health, a division of CVS Health, is trying to broaden the picture of older adults vulnerability in their 169 Primary Care Centers. At least three times per year their patients are asked about loneliness, social isolation, transportation issues, utility services, food insecurity, finances and housing. 

Oak Street Health combines these findings with their client’s medical information to categorize each patient into a risk category from very high to very low. Based on which category an individual falls under Oak Street Health then determines which services are needed including both social and medical interventions.  

This approach to senior care, considering not only the patient’s medical frailty but also their social frailty shows promise in improving our geriatric population’s overall quality of life.