Increasing Sense of Purpose Reduces Loneliness in Long-Term Care Residents

Loneliness poses a risk to long-term care residents’ physical, mental, and emotional health. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the psychosocial challenges in long-term care. To address these long-standing challenges, programs focused on temporary companionship are not enough. Create Circles, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, developed an evidence-based curriculum for volunteers and health professionals to develop a sense of purpose rather than provide companionship. By encouraging goal-oriented projects like compiling a cookbook or writing a memoir, the older adult-volunteer pair use past experiences to find meaning in the present.