The purpose of this essay was to examine the experience of loneliness as well as the strategies used to manage loneliness as described in Swedish podcasts. Swedish podcasts concerning the experience and managing of loneliness were picked using a strategic selection based on several criteria relating to the questions posed by the study. To analyse the empirical data a qualitative content analysis was used, combined with a theoretical framework based on the dramaturgical perspective and stigma theories of sociologist Erving Goffman. The experience of loneliness was found to be paradoxical in nature due to its social and relational elements. The interviewees throughout the study appeared to compare and relate their experience to that of other people. Furthermore, the study found loneliness to be heavily reliant on social interactions and thus did not exist in a vacuum of social isolation. Several coping methods were identified and in turn grouped as either constructive and active or counterproductive and passive.

Involuntary loneliness is today considered to be a public health problem, and studies show that feeling lonely can have major negative effects on one's health. Project Omtanke and the social administration in Helsingborg has mapped a big problem with loneliness in Helsingborg, and has come to the conclusion that they need a website with the purpose of mitigating loneliness. Thus, this research project explores how a website should be designed to make people feel less lonely.  This thesis essay explores the research question with the approach Research Through Design (RtD). The research was conducted by conducting user research, creating a prototype and validating the design with users.  This thesis has come to the conclusion that a website with the purpose of supporting lonely individuals should include content providing help and support to all relevant target groups, such as educational content and help alternatives. It should also be designed with the goal to decrease the gap between available help and the people in need of help, by increasing awareness and reassuring personal relevance of available help. The website should also include functions that promote social contact between people, and be designed with the goal of being perceived as inclusive. The website prototype that was created in this thesis was well received by potential users. The users expressed in the validation of the website that they would like to use it, and that they believe it could help them with their loneliness.

The purpose of my study is to investigate how the meeting place's staff’s in a municipality in Halland County, handles the loneliness of the elderly and their needs to activities, and how the meeting place works to prevent involuntary loneliness. I have used a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews. I have interviewed 6 people at different meeting places in the municipalities. In the results section, i have analyzed through the theories used in the study. These theories are the activity theory, the disengagement theory, sense of context and the role theory as the used both by Goffman (2009) and Tornstam (2018). My conclusion is that staff work has a contribution with a description of how meeting places in the municipality handle the loneliness of the elderly and their need for activity and social interaction. The job description in the meeting places has been a central part of the study to shed light on whether it is in line with informal working methods of the stuff, but also based on the used theories in the study. I have tried to shed light with this study on the staff's work in meeting places about the loneliness of the elderly and their need for activities.

Bakgrund I takt med att den äldre befolkningen ökar, ökar även antalet äldre över 65 år som upplever ensamhet. Idag anses ofrivillig ensamhet utgöra ett folkhälsoproblem med bland annat en ökad dödlighet hos de drabbade. Sjuksköterskans arbete kan ha en betydande roll för att minska den äldres ensamhet med personcentrerad vård, hänsyn till den äldres resurser och behov för att främja en meningsfull vardag. Utifrån detta behövs kunskap sammanställas inom området för att förbättra kunskapen kring åtgärder som förbättrar den sociala situationen samt syftar till att minska ofrivillig ensamhet hos äldre personer boende i ordinärt boende. Känsla av sammanhang, KASAM, kan fungera som en skyddsfaktor mot ensamhet och har därför valts som teoretisk utgångspunkt för denna litteraturöversikt. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva de omvårdnadsåtgärder som syftar till att minska upplevelsen av ofrivillig ensamhet hos äldre i ordinärt boende. Metod En icke-systematisk litteraturöversikt genomfördes baserat på 18 artiklar av både kvantitativ, kvalitativ och mixad metod. Artiklarna inhämtades från databaserna CINAHL och PubMed och genomgick en kvalitetsgranskning. Genom en integrerad analys sammanställdes resultatet av artiklarna. Resultat Resultatet visade på flera interventioner som hade positiv effekt på att minska ofrivillig ensamhet hos äldre. De mest framträdande interventionerna ämnade att minska äldre personers upplevelse av ensamhet var gruppaktiviteter, sällskapsdjur, volontärarbete, digitala hjälpmedel och individuellt stöd. Dessa visade sig vara effektiva vid ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt och betonar kombinerade omvårdnadsåtgärder för att få en bestående minskning av ensamheten. Rörelsebegränsningar, hälsotillstånd och graden upplevd ensamhet visade sig vara faktorer som påverkade interventionens effektivitet. Slutsats Denna litteraturöversikt erbjuder insiktsfulla perspektiv och påvisar vikten av att integrera presenterade omvårdnadsåtgärder i omsorgen av äldre för att minska ofrivillig ensamhet som är ett ökande samhällsproblem i åldersgruppen. Genom att integrera KASAM i omvårdnaden av de äldre och tillämpa en holistisk och personcentrerad vård kan insatser riktas därefter för att minska ofrivillig ensamheten hos äldre / Background As the elderly population increases, so does the number of seniors experiencing loneliness. Today, involuntary loneliness is considered a public health issue associated with increased mortality among those affected. Nurses play a significant role in addressing the loneliness of the elderly through person-centered care, consideration of the individual's abilities and needs to promote a meaningful daily life. Based on this, knowledge needs to be compiled in the field to enhance understanding of measures that improve the social situation and which aims to reduce involuntary loneliness for elderly individuals. A sense of coherence, SOC, can act as a protective factor against loneliness and has therefore been chosen as the theoretical framework for this literature review. Aim The purpose was to highlight nursing interventions aimed to reduce the experience of involuntary loneliness among older adults living in ordinary housing. Method A non-systematic review was conducted based on 18 articles using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. The articles were retrieved from CINAHL and PubMed databases and underwent a quality review. The results of the articles were compiled through an integrated analysis. Results The results revealed several interventions that had a positive effect on reducing involuntary loneliness among older adults. The most prominent interventions aiming to reduce the experience of loneliness in older individuals were group activities, companion animals, volunteer work, digital aids and individual support. These were found to be effective with a person-centered approach and emphasize combined nursing measures for a lasting reduction of loneliness. Factors such as limited mobility, health conditions and the degree of perceived loneliness were found to influence the effectiveness of the different interventions. Conclusions This review provides insightful perspectives and emphasizes the importance of integrating the presented nursing interventions in the care of elderly to reduce involuntary loneliness, an escalating societal issue within this age group. By incorporating the theory Sense of Coherence into the care of elderly and implementing a holistic and person-centered approach, efforts can be directed and effectively reduce involuntary loneliness among older individuals.

A total of 58 percent of elderly individuals receiving elderly care report experiencing loneliness, as indicated by the National Board of Health and Welfare's annual survey focused on this demographic. Regardless of the adverse effects of loneliness on health, addressing and acknowledging involuntary loneliness is crucial, given its potential to cause discomfort and diminish the wellbeing of the elderly. The objective of this study is to explore how aid officers, through conversations with the elderly, identify and address loneliness among this population. Additionally, the study aims to understand the actions aid workers take upon recognizing loneliness. The goal is to determine whether aid officers' perceptions of loneliness in the elderly are linked to various interventions provided by social services for this demographic. The research questions focus on how aid officers observe and address feelings of involuntary loneliness in the elderly, the nature of the needs assessment conducted by aid officers regarding these feelings, and the types of interventions offered to address loneliness among the elderly. The study adopts a qualitative approach, involving interviews with four aid officers from the Health Care and Care Administration. These aid officers are responsible for approving interventions, including social care for the elderly. The theoretical framework for interpreting the findings encompasses the activity theory and continuity theory. The results and analysis indicate that aid officers individually recognize and address loneliness in the elderly. However, they operate within common guidelines and templates, particularly in the context of social interventions where loneliness plays a role in the assessment for granting social interventions.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka ofrivillig ensamhet i den svenska befolkningen utifrån faktorer som tidigare har visat sig associerade med oönskad ensamhet, nämligen ålder, inkomst, civilstånd, kön, antal hushållsmedlemmar och även storleken på orten där personen bor. Upplevelsen av ensamhet före och under coronapandemin har också studerats. Totalt har 196 personer svarat på ett frågeformulär som mäter de tidigare nämnda faktorerna och ensamhet enligt UCLA-ensamhetsindex. Resultaten visar att ensamheten är störst bland den yngre populationen och bland dem med lägst inkomst. Resultaten påvisade även att storstadsbor upplever sig mindre ensamma än de som bor i mindre orter. Studien kunde inte visa att coronapandemin haft någon inverkan på ensamhetsupplevelsen. Det fanns ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad i ensamhet utifrån kön, civilstånd eller antal medlemmar i hushållet. Slutsatsen som kan dras från studien är att inkomst, ålder och storleken på orten där individen bor har betydelse för ofrivillig ensamhet. / The purpose of the present study was to examine the involuntary loneliness in the Swedish population considering factors that previously have been shown to be associated, i.e. age, income, civil status, gender, number of household members and size of the locality where the individual lives. Even the experienced level of loneliness before and during the coronavirus pandemics has been studied. A total of 196 individuals have responded to a questionnaire aimed to measure the previously named factors as well as the loneliness index according to the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The results show that involuntary loneliness is more widespread among younger individuals and among those with lowest incomes. The results also show that people living in Sweden's largest localities feel less lonely than those living in smaller localities. The current study could not conclude that the coronavirus pandemic has had any effect on loneliness. No statistically significant differences in loneliness have been found when it comes to gender, civil status or number of members in the household. Overall, it can be concluded that income, age and the size of the locality where the individual lives are significant in the experience of involuntary loneliness.

Background: The aim with this study is to explore how elderly care homes in Sweden plan activities in order to counteract the feeling of perceived involuntary loneliness for its elderly service users.  Method: The study is based on collected qualitative data that centers around eight semi-structured interviews with elderly care homes unit managers (SÄBO).  The result: The interviewees perceived involuntary loneliness differently depending on the elderly individual's perspective and the acceptance of their new life process. The range of activities are aimed to activate and socialize the elderly and implicitly counteract involuntary loneliness. The interviewees hint that it is often a matter of profound loneliness rooted in life’s final phase, identified as existential loneliness – a feeling of being separated from other people and the universe itself. Conclusion: The study indicates that there are multiple hues of loneliness such as feelings of existential loneliness, and the effects of the elderly’s changed life situation. The interviewees express a want for a counsellor for the elderly, with whom they can talk about life and death.  Keywords: elderly, elderly homes, involuntary loneliness, activities, gerotranscendence, ageism, person-centered care. / Bakgrund: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur äldreboenden i Sverige samordnar aktiviteter för att motverka den upplevda ofrivilliga ensamheten bland de äldre brukarna.  Metod: Studiens insamlade kvalitativa data baseras på åtta semi-strukturerade intervjuer med enhetschefer på särskilt boende (SÄBO).  Resultatet: Intervjupersonerna uppfattade ofrivillig ensamhet olika beroende på den äldre individens perspektiv och acceptans av deras nya livsprocess. Aktivitetsutbudet syftar till att aktivera och socialisera de äldre och implicit motverka ofrivillig ensamhet. Intervjupersonerna antyder att det ofta handlar om djupgående ensamhet rotad i livets slutfas som identifieras som existentiell ensamhet – en känsla av att vara separerad från andra människor och själva universum.  Slutsats: Undersökningen indikerar att det finns flera nyanser av ensamhet, så som känslor av existentiell ensamhet och effekterna av de äldres förändrade livssituation. Intervjupersonerna uttrycker en önskan om en äldre-kurator, med vilken de äldre kan prata med om livet och döden. Nyckelord: äldre, särskilt boende, ofrivillig ensamhet, aktiviteter, gerotranscendens, ålderism, personcentrerad vård.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka om och i så fall hur enhetschefer på vård- och omsorgsboenden beaktar äldre människors sociala välbefinnande samt redogöra för vad enhetschefer i deras chefsroll uppmärksammar som viktigt för de äldres sociala välbefinnande. Frågeställningarna berör hur enhetschefer på vård- och omsorgsboenden arbetar för att främja de äldres sociala välbefinnande och vilka utmaningar avseende de äldres sociala välbefinnande som enhetschefer på vård- och omsorgsboenden identifierar. Studien utgår från ett kvalitativt metodval och resultatet har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med enhetschefer på vård- och omsorgsboenden i en mellanstor kommun i Sverige. Studiens resultat belyser hur enhetschefer på vård- och omsorgsboenden arbetar med att främja de äldres sociala välbefinnande genom att skapa förutsättningar för trygghet, gemenskap och självbestämmande. Enhetscheferna identifierar utmaningar förenade med de äldres sociala välbefinnande och lyfter att hitta arbetssätt för att bidra till minskad ofrivillig ensamhet hos de äldre och bistå med stöd för att tillgodose de äldres individuella behov och öka deltagandet på de sociala aktiviteterna. / The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, and if so how, unit managers at nursing homes take the social well-being of older people into account and describe what managers in their position recognize as important for the social well-being of the elderly. The research questions are based on how unit managers at nursing homes work to promote the social well-being of the elderly, and which challenges regarding the social well-being of the elderly that unit managers at nursing homes identify. The study is based on a qualitative choice of method and the results have been collected through semi-structured interviews with unit managers at nursing homes in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. The study's results highlight how unit managers at nursing homes work to promote the social well-being of the elderly by creating conditions for security, community and self-determination. The unit managers identify challenges associated with the social well-being of the elderly and find ways of working to contribute to reducing involuntary loneliness among the elderly.  The unit managers also assist with support to meet the individual needs of the elderly and increase participation in social activities.

Ofrivillig ensamhet hos äldre är ett problem som kan orsaka ohälsa, lidande och öka risken att dö i förtid. I hemsjukvården möter distriktssköterskan ofta patienter som erfar ofrivillig ensamhet. Vårdpersonal kan genom sitt bemötande orsaka känslor av ensamhet hos dem de vårdar. Genom att beskriva fenomenet ur distriktssköterskans perspektiv förväntas kunskapen öka, vilket i sin tur kan leda till att patienterna får en bättre vård. Syftet med studien var att beskriva distriktssköterskans upplevelse av mötet med äldre patienter inom hemsjukvård som erfar ofrivillig ensamhet. Studien genomfördes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex distriktssköterskor i hemsjukvården. Materialet tolkades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys med ett induktivt tillvägagångssätt. Resultatet presenteras utifrån kategorierna: Det ofrivilliga lidandet, Känslors betydelse och Nycklar till det vårdande mötet. Distriktssköterskornas möte med ofrivilligt ensamma patienter väcker känslor som får dem att vilja hjälpa den äldre människan bakom ensamheten. Samtalet har stor betydelse i mötet med ofrivilligt ensamma äldre och kan lindra deras lidande. Öppenhet, kunskap och att se hela människan är viktigt i uppbyggnaden av relationen. Distriktssköterskorna upplever svårigheter i mötet med äldre ofrivilligt ensamma patienter och att dessa människor får för lite hjälp och behöver mer stöd. Slutsatserna är att avsaknad av egenskaper som lyhördhet, öppenhet och respekt hindrar vårdaren att få tillgång till patientens livsvärld och kunna vara vårdande. För att hjälpa ofrivilligt ensamma patienter är tiden, samtalet och kunskap avgörande i det vårdande mötet. / Involuntary loneliness in elderly people is a problem that can cause ill health, suffering and increase the risk of premature death. In home health care, the district nurse often encounters patients who experience involuntary loneliness. Nursing staff can, through their treatment, cause feelings of loneliness in those they care for. By describing the phenomenon from the district nurse's perspective, knowledge is expected to increase, which in turn can lead to patients receiving better care. The purpose of the study was to describe the district nurse's experience of the meeting with elderly patients in home health care who experience involuntary loneliness. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with six district nurses in home health care. The material was interpreted using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. The results are presented based on the categories: Involuntary suffering, The importance of feelings and Keys to the caring encounter. The district nurses' meeting with involuntarily lonely patients arouses emotions that make them want to help the elderly person behind the loneliness. The conversation is of great importance in the meeting with involuntarily lonely elderly people and can alleviate their suffering. Openness, knowledge and seeing the whole person are important in building the relationship. The district nurses experience difficulties in meeting elderly patients who are involuntarily alone and that these people receive too little help and need more support. The conclusions are that a lack of qualities such as responsiveness, openness and respect prevents the carer from gaining access to the patient's life world and being able to care. To help involuntarily lonely patients, time, conversation and knowledge are crucial in the caring encounter.nsamma patienter är tiden, samtalet och kunskap avgörande i det vårdande mötet.

Ofrivillig ensamhet är en tydlig riskfaktor för ohälsa bland brukare och bör utifrån ett folkhälsoperspektiv prioriteras för att främja en god och jämlik hälsa för alla. Hemtjänsten utgör en central roll som är nära knuten till brukarens vardagliga liv och är en viktig aktör för att stödja brukaren i sin unika situation och därigenom minska de negativa upplevelserna av ensamhet.   Syftet med studien är att undersöka hemtjänstpersonals upplevelser av deras arbete mot ofrivillig ensamhet bland brukare de möter i sin yrkesroll. Studien omfattas av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserats med en manifest innehållsanalys. Samtliga informanter var kvinnor som under undersökningens genomförande arbetade inom kommunal hemtjänst inom Västmanland och Södermanlands län.  De mest framträdande aspekterna i resultatet var de utmaningar som hemtjänstpersonalen upplever i det dagliga arbetet och hur ledning och organisation tycks vara en avgörande faktor för vilken riktning arbetet med hanteringen av ofrivillig ensamhet tar. En annan betydande aspekt i resultatet var de aktiviteter som informanterna lyfte som minskar känslan av ensamhet och som i stället främjar brukarnas sociala samvaro.  Studiens slutsats lyfter att det behövs stärkt prioritering av hantering av ofrivillig ensamhet för att vidare öka förutsättningarna för brukarnas välmående. Det social-ekologiska perspektivet bidrar med en ökad förståelse för hemtjänstens arbete med att motverka ofrivillig ensamhet genom dess påverkan av inre och yttre faktorer som understryker komplexiteten i arbetet. Nyckelord; Brukare, Folkhälsa, Hemtjänst, Ofrivillig ensamhet / Involuntary loneliness is a clear risk factor for ill health among home care recipients and should be prioritized from a public health perspective to promote good and equitable health for all. Home care services have a central role closely tied to the user’s everyday life and is an important actor in supporting the home care recipients in their unique situation, thereby reducing negative experiences of loneliness. The purpose of the study is to investigate home care staff’s experiences in addressing involuntary loneliness among the home care recipients they encounter in their professional roles. The study comprises six semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using a manifest content analysis. All the participants were women working in municipal home care services in the Västmanland and Södermanland counties of Sweden. The most prominent aspects in the results were the challenges that home care staff experience in their daily work and how management and organization appear to be a crucial factor in determining the direction of work related to addressing involuntary loneliness. Another significant aspect in the results was the activities that the informants highlighted as reducing feelings of loneliness and instead promoting social interaction among home care recipients in various ways.  The study’s conclusion emphasizes the need for enhanced prioritization of addressing involuntary loneliness to further improve the well-being of home care recipients. The social-ecological perspective contributes to a deeper understanding of home care services’ efforts in combating involuntary loneliness by considering both internal and external factors that underscore the complexity of this work. Keywords; Home care, Home care recipient, Involuntary loneliness, Public health