CCBI News – Social Isolation, Loneliness, Anxiety; Social Capital and the Elderly; Parish Activities; Dr. Fisher’s Articles; Catholic Teaching

November 25, 2022

Dear Friends of CCBI,

Social Isolation: Progressive Social Rupture

Listening to the news on the car radio driving home a few days ago I heard the statistic that about 40% of people living in Toronto say they suffer from loneliness and express anxiety about what they would do if they needed help, but there was nobody they could turn to. The reporter named this ‘social isolation’ and went on to describe the findings of a report, Social Capital, a survey that shows that loneliness and isolation are on the rise, while, correspondingly, civic engagement has dropped. Social isolation or social exclusion has been defined as, “…a multidimensional process of progressive social rupture, detaching groups and individuals from social relations and institutions and preventing them from full participation in the normal, normatively prescribed activities of the society in which they live. It is a determinant of health as defined by the World Health Organization and results from poverty, relative deprivation, racism, discrimination, stigmatization and unemployment.”

The study found that about 25 per cent of adult Torontonians are currently volunteering, down from nearly 40 per cent four years ago. The percentage of adults in the city who donate to charity also fell, to 63 per cent down from 75 per cent in 2018, “translating to a potential loss of more than 300,000 donors in Toronto.” Needless to say, some of the very agencies which could help remedy the problem, including churches and religious organizations, are receiving fewer donations, with adverse effects on their operations to combat societal ills.

In Parishes

Coincidentally, parishioners in St Francis of Assisi in Mississauga at a recent Horizons of Hope session were able to list service agencies in their location, relating to helping others find health and palliative care sources. The list is impressive and their conversation discussed bringing this kind of knowledge to people’s attention, including the elderly and isolated. The suggestion was made that parishes could gather this sort of information, display it on their website, prepare and send a booklet of local information for its members, and so on. In other words, take action to be a resource and contact centre for health care, including end-of-life and palliative care!

Some parishes are already active in these areas, and they know how this helps combat isolation, especially since the aging population is clearly evident in most churches’ membership and attendance. It should be acknowledged that many parish groups are already a force in visiting the elderly, taking the Eucharist to the home-bound, etc., no doubt contributing to the lessening of social isolation. This is not new for Catholics, where visiting the sick and the lonely are seen as the ‘corporal works of mercy,’ which we have long been encouraged to perform. We can see how these easily translate into ‘accompaniment’ in its many forms: the Real Presence and our simple, human presence.

Social Capital and the Elderly

According to Social Capital, social isolation applies specifically to the elderly as “…an experience characterized by deprivation and the lack of access to social networks, activities and services, resulting in poor quality of life.” Attempts to address these problems have been made by a national body, the Forum of Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors, which highlights similar concerns in its report, Social Isolation among Seniors: Volume 1, Understanding the Issue and Finding Solutions. It’s lengthy and detailed, and a major point states that: “Social innovation offers lasting change by targeting, localizing and measuring coordinated action—also referred to as collective impact. Social innovation means new partnerships developing between sectors. It means people planning and implementing ideas with private and non-profit organizations, and public institutions (such as libraries, schools, school boards, recreation facilities and all levels of government) to address social isolation at the community level.”

Synodality

Interestingly, I find that this parallels the move towards synodality in our Church in that it starts with inviting all sectors together to listen to each other’s concerns about seniors, then to discern or plan a way forward that integrates different agencies in the community to address a specific community’s needs.

Dr. Rory Fisher’s Articles

This reminded me of our colleague Dr Rory Fisher’s articles over the summer on aging in place and descriptions of communities that help seniors stay at home, safely, as long as possible. He noted the importance of this, first, because that is what most people want to do; second, other countries have shown it is possible; and third, it helps reduce costs involved in all levels of health care for seniors, making those financial resources available elsewhere in health care. Surely, a win-win….

His work and articles reflecting care and concern for seniors and the frail elderly, as well as support for staying at home, are echoed in the report, Aging in Place: A Guide for Seniors Living at Home, which states: “Approximately 24.6% of the Canadian population 65 and older live alone, according to Statistic Canada. In Canada, most Canadian seniors want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. As Canadians are living longer, and more Canadians are reaching the age of 100, they are wanting to stay in their homes longer.”

Catholic teaching on care for seniors and the elderly would endorse this approach, which necessarily calls for a re-appreciation of our Baptismal call as members of the Body of Christ to care for all other members of the Body as ‘one Body.’ Part of our mission is to work for the common good in listening to and implementing the needs of the elderly members of the Body and to combat social isolation with its damaging consequences by any means we discern.

Social isolation on the rise while civic engagement has dropped in Toronto, study finds | CBC News
TORONTO SOCIAL CAPITAL STUDY 2022 (torontofoundation.ca)
Thinking about aging in place – Canada.ca
Social isolation of seniors – Volume 1: Understanding the issue and finding solutions – Canada.ca

Pope Francis’ Intention for November

Children Who Suffer
We pray for children who are suffering, especially those who are homeless, orphans, and victims of war; may they be guaranteed access to education and the opportunity to experience family affection.

Moira and Bambi