Abstract
Policies regarding family health and other socio-economic decisions that shape social life directly affect the individual in the long term, together with cultural influences. Decisions in light of global developments can cause one generation's retirement life to be different from another. Many factors, such as changing economies, growing businesses, urbanization, migration, and employment policies, determine the time individuals spend in business and how the rest of their lives will pass afterward. As a result of the interaction of social, economic, and psychological factors, social well-being must be well managed for individuals over a certain age to feel useful without being isolated from society and to maintain their ties with life despite various diseases. From this point of view, attention is drawn to the increase in isolated deaths, and the management of this situation with tools such as family health strategies is mentioned in this chapter.
TopIntroduction
Innovation resistance theory (IRT) is characterized as staying away from innovation in order not to change the current situation, status quo, belief, or conditions, and resisting innovations that tend to deviate to preserve the existing (Kaur et al., 2020). There are cases where the harmony of the internet and globalization, which is one of the benefits of the new generation born in the age of technology, is difficult for the older generations. Teaching some basic tools within the scope of lifelong learning can be considered. However, with the effect of variables such as culture, habits, and expectations, the situation may not be as easy as it seems for an individual over a certain age. Without conscious resistance or a desire not to change, the individual may not feel comfortable in new circumstances. For this reason, it would be useful to evaluate the elderly's lack of self-update as cultural shock or cultural adaptation, not innovation resistance. The recent pandemic may have fueled the cultural shock, necessitating sudden adaptation without sufficient time (Ince, 2020). It is quite clear that in addition to the sudden need for technology, it makes isolation mandatory in all segments of society. Obligations such as curfews, remote working, and avoidance of communication have created difficulties in reducing personal contact even in nuclear families. Especially the elderly in the risk group had to be even more lonely in such an extraordinary situation.
Such extraordinary situations, in which the society, not the individual, is at the forefront to protect public health, may have triggered the current problems to become more evident. Although loneliness and social isolation take their place today with the effect of past policies, it seems to increase in the future. Studies on the world population show that the increase in the elderly population is not only a problem in European countries. Although this problem is seen in collectivist societies as in Asian countries, it is also seen in Latin countries such as Brazil. Social isolation and death are seen as a result of isolation resulting from urbanization, retirement, or other socio-economic reasons. Also, the problem is not just with the elderly, there are cases of lonely death and even unidentified death among the young. South Korea called this type of lonely death “godoska”, and Japan called it “kodokushi” (Rashid, 2017; Griffiths et al., 2022). Although these concepts, which mean death through isolation, have a different name in every society, the cases in Japan have attracted the attention of the world public opinion. This name is widely known due to the influence of documentaries made in this area in Japan.
These kinds of events, which are difficult for the humanist point of view to accept, cannot be explained solely for economic reasons. Although social influences, social habits, and support mechanisms are also involved, the psychological state of the individual is also important. As a result of the psychological deterioration of individuals whose social relations are weakened, their mental and physical health begins to deteriorate (Umberson and Karas-Montez, 2010). Also, loneliness is not just a problem for the elderly. The experience of feeling lonely can push the individual to despair and suicide. According to the Cacioppo Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL), this reveals a set of behavioral and biological processes that contribute to premature death in all age groups (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018). The effect of Perceived Social Isolation (PSI) on this result is at least as effective as Objective Social Isolation (OSI). Those who are isolated or less socially integrated are less physically and psychologically healthy and therefore at higher risk of death. There is no difference between whether the feeling of loneliness is caused by the absence of people for objective reasons or by feeling lonely in crowds. Whether the reason is objective or subjective, the result of loneliness in the mind of the individual supports the pessimistic thinking process and is sufficient to deteriorate health (Piejka et al., 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Communities of Benefit Exchange (CoBE): A group of people with a common goal or interest who engage in alternative consumption practices through a variety of channels, including monetary or non-monetary gains.
Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT): Innovation resistance is defined as inhibiting behavior toward the adoption and use of any innovation that causes resistance to maintain the status quo and any deviation from existing beliefs.
Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic: It is a holistic way of thinking that can achieve a product that can be considered as a natural balance and trust-oriented for society, market, and businesses.
Unified Health System (SUS): Sistema Único de Saúde, better known by the acronym SUS, is Brazil's publicly funded healthcare system which is one of the largest state-run public health systems in the world.
Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment (CPT): It is a rehabilitative group program that covers different communication skills, including sessions dedicated to the ability to construct a discourse with a sufficient amount of information and relevant content.
Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL): It is the theory that emphasizes that people whose need for social connection is not met to protect against possible threats or reproduction may feel lonely.
Functional Independence Measure (FIM): It is used by health practitioners to assess and rate a person's functional status based on the level of help they need.
Objective Social Isolation (OSI): The concept emphasizing the objective lack of social or family relationships, such as minimal participation in social activities, may have a detrimental effect on the individual.
Sharing Economy (SE): The sharing economy is a savings-oriented business model based on the fact that a product or service is not used by the owner, but is offered to someone who needs it.
Learned Resourcefulness Theory: It is a concept that expresses the effectiveness of coping skills when faced with stressful events in an individual's private or professional life, and accordingly, strong people can minimize the negative impact of stress on their performance.
Perceived Social Isolation (PSI): A deficit in human social interaction associated with adverse health outcomes refers to the subjective mismatch between the quantity and quality of one's social relationships and social participation preferences.