El sentimiento de soledad en personas mayores: conocimiento y tamización oportuna

Loneliness has a prevalence of 40% in older people secondary to situations of abandonment, bereavement and adaptation of the role. The impact it has on the development of chronic conditions, decreased self-care and adherence to treatment has been studied. The factors associated with this condition are advanced age, being a woman, absence of a partner and a low educational level. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of the inclusion of routine assessment of loneliness in older people with validated instruments in order to generate interventions focused on this phenomenon. In the Colombian population, there is a validated scale for screening which should be considered at the time of care and monitoring of the elderly by health professionals.