1.    Introduction

Environmental, economic, and social sustainability are the three components of sustainability that are frequently mentioned when discussing sustainable development (Smart City Sweden, 2022). In line with sustainable development in Sweden, the Swedish government has created Agenda 2030 (Regeringskansliet, 2020) with plans for a sustainable society that guarantee inclusion across generational lines of young people and elderly people to live a healthy life and that the welfare of people of all ages is taken into account. As Sweden’s population ages, more elderly adults are living longer and are therefore more likely to experience loneliness, social isolation, and the negative health effects that go along with these conditions. Loneliness research has frequently alluded to Robert Weiss’ conceptualization of the social and emotional dimensions of loneliness, which are emotional and social isolation (Tilikainen & Seppänen, 2017). Emotional isolation is defined as the lack of a significant other or someone to turn to, while social isolation is defined as loneliness caused by a lack of a sense of belonging or unhappiness with one’s social network. Even though loneliness is subjective and recognized as an emotion, it can have consequences for behavior, cognition, and health, including both physical and psychological conditions such as perceived ill-health, dietary inadequacies, depression, personality disorders, and suicide (Dykstra, 2009). Furthermore, research shows that there are several factors linked to older people feeling lonely, such as the loss of a spouse, friends, and relatives, which makes it difficult for the elderly to meet their basic needs for human intimacy and social integration. In fact, loneliness among the elderly (aged 65 and over) is as damaging to physical health as smoking, as it encompasses emotional and social isolation (Riksdagsförvaltningen, 2020). With this in mind, loneliness and social isolation must be taken seriously to achieve the global goals for social sustainability, where “good health and well-being” (The Global Goals, 2022) is one of the goals.

1. 1 Aim

The aim of this essay is to assess the efficacy of current efforts made by the Swedish government, parliament, municipal, and non-governmental organization (NGO) to  address loneliness and social isolation among the elderly.

1.2 Research questions

1.   What is the state of loneliness and social isolation among Swedish elderly?

• What are some of the efforts undertaken by the Swedish government, parliament, municipal, and NGO to address these issues?
• Which efforts are effective in  addressing the underlying causes of loneliness and social   isolation in the elderly?

 2. The State of Loneliness & Social Isolation Among The Elderly in Sweden

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (2020), loneliness is more prevalent among the older age groups in Sweden. Research shows that older people over 75 are one of the groups that are most likely to experience involuntary loneliness (Socialstyrelsen, 2022). Furthermore, 10% of people aged 80 and above are the ones who reported feeling lonely “all the time” or “most of the time.” Similarly, the age group 85 and above has the highest rate of loneliness (17%). A survey of living conditions (SCB, 2020) shows that this age group has very little contact with their relatives and friends. One-third of them reported feeling lonely, and 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men feel bothered by that feeling.

Every tenth person in the elderly over 75 in Sweden believes that loneliness has a negative impact on their health and well-being. According to Riksdagsförvaltningen (2020), loneliness causes low-intensity stress, which leads to disease. Unfortunately, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety in old age can also lead to poor eating habits, low self-esteem, and premature death. Besides, women over the age of 50 are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from depression (Sterner, 2020). Furthermore, depression also increases the risk of complications such as stroke and heart attack, as well as diabetes and dementia. SPF Seniors Statistics (Attendo.se, 2023) also mentioned that men over the age of 80 are a significantly overrepresented risk group when it comes to suicide rates.

3. Sweden’s Efforts To Address Loneliness And Social Isolation Among The Elderly

A wide range of initiatives have been planned and implemented in Sweden in order to decrease loneliness and social isolation among the elderly. These efforts are being implemented at governmental, parliamentary, municipal, and non-governmental organizations in line with the goal of social sustainability. The goal is to ensure that no one falls behind and to improve the quality of life for everyone, including the health and well-being of the elderly in Sweden. Below are some of the efforts that have been made by the governmental, parliamentary, municipal, and non-governmental sectors.

3.1 Government

The Swedish government has made specific efforts to strengthen civil society to address loneliness and social isolation among the elderly. In addition, the government is proposing a three-year community investment totaling SEK 300 million in 2023 to improve public health and lessen the effects of involuntary loneliness (Regeringskansliet, 2023). Similarly, they also provide the National Board of Health and Welfare with SEK 50 million to support initiatives for the elderly to engage in social and health-promoting activities in an effort to combat involuntary loneliness (Regeringskansliet, 2023). The initiatives that get funding have to make everything simpler for the elderly to connect with people who share their interests. Some of the activities are group activities that require active participation from individuals, such as leisure activities, activities incorporating various types of technology, or cultural activities.

The National Board of Health and Welfare has also developed recommendations for general practitioners and caregivers of the elderly on how to identify the issue and take action to prevent and address unintentional loneliness among the elderly (Socialstyrelsen, 2022).

Vinnova, the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems, is now investing in innovation to ensure that social values are prioritized in the development of cities and communities, thereby contributing to the reduction of loneliness and the improvement of public health and well-being. Furthermore, Vinnova introduces Fik@rummet, a research-based digital solution for municipalities that encourages safe social interaction among older people (Vinnova.se, 2020), which has now been further developed by researchers in partnership with older people and an IT firm.

Lastly, the government has also raised funds for retirees’ organizations in 2021, which will be used to prevent elderly people from feeling lonely (Voluntary National Review, 2021).

3.2 Parliament

With a motion titled “loneliness among the elderly is a national disease” (Riksdagsförvaltningen, 2020), the Swedish parliament emphasized the urgent need to address loneliness among the elderly. The motion also urges the government to assist in creating more gathering places and providing more opportunities for better meals as a means of addressing involuntary loneliness. The goal is to highlight the fact that elderly people are more likely than younger people to face loneliness and mental illness, as over 300,000 older people reported that they are experiencing loneliness and feeling bad about it. The lack of social awareness, education, and therapy resources in old age makes physical activity, a sense of community, and fulfilling work crucial to preventing mental illness in old age. However, mental illness must be identified and treated earlier on in its course in order to prevent it from worsening. The parliament stressed that the community as well as those in charge of health and care must take this issue seriously. Basically, the parliament is proposing that municipalities simplify aid assessments, provide better social gathering spaces for senior activities, better meals, and encourage the development of secure and senior housing in the region (Riksdagsförvaltningen, 2020).

3.3 Municipal

In Sweden, elderly care is governed by the Social Services Act and is mostly the responsibility of municipalities. Furthermore, municipal taxes and government grants pay for the majority of Swedish elderly care. Sweden’s municipal cost of senior care was SEK 135.3 billion in 2020 (Si, 2022). On top of that, the healthcare costs borne by the elderly are also well subsidized. Each municipality runs an elderly care program so that the elderly can get help with household duties, laundry, and personal hygiene. The municipality also actively seeks out and listens to the elderly by having dialogues with them to generate information for the development of a senior-friendly municipality.

In the municipality of Väsby in Uppland, for example, organizations and associations have built gathering and meeting places, as well as a befriending service where volunteers arrange for people to be accompanied on walks, taken on trips, entertained, and engaged in other activities. All of this is done to keep the elderly from becoming involuntarily lonely.

3.4 Non-Governmental Organization

One of the social organizations in Sweden, the Red Cross, which has operations around the country, launched several programs such as language cafes and language friends to battle loneliness and social isolation among the elderly (Röda korset, 2023). The elderly can participate, have a free lunch, and talk in Swedish with the foreigners in Sweden. Besides, the Red Cross also runs the “Never Alone” campaign, with the goal of ensuring that no one feels lonely and that there is a need for a more humane society. They do that by taking the initiative to visit the residents or nursing homes of the elderly, accompany the elderly to the health care center or pharmacy, and participate in local activities such as walking or taking a coffee break.

4. Effectiveness Of The Efforts In Addressing The Underlying Causes Of Loneliness and Social  Isolation In The Elderly

According to Dykstra (2009), one of the best predictors of health and well-being is attention and the quality of personal relationships, which also served as a basis for addressing loneliness and social isolation among the elderly. In addition, as Tilikainen and Seppänen (2017) mentioned in their research, some elderly people miss the times when neighbors were close by and people used to greet one another as they walked down the sidewalk. This finding suggests that both emotional and social aspects of the problem are intertwined and should be taken into consideration when addressing it.

A lot of efforts have been made by Sweden to address the issue of loneliness and social isolation among the elderly. Ranging from the Swedish government’s initiatives to encourage older people to connect with people who share their interests, the motion by the Swedish parliament urges the government to assist in creating more gathering places and providing more opportunities for better meals as a means of addressing involuntary loneliness. However, the research by Tilikainen & Seppänen (2017) discovered that interventions can potentially reduce loneliness among non-institutionalized, community-dwelling and older people living at home but not social isolation in long-term care.

The municipality also puts out some effort to address this issue by actively seeking out and listening to the elderly, having dialogues with them to generate information for the development of a senior-friendly municipality, and building gathering and meeting places. However, building gathering and meeting places will solve loneliness and social isolation if it is accompanied by encouraging the public to participate in the gathering and meeting with the elderly as well.

What the Red Cross has done is incredible, and more NGOs and other initiatives are needed to concretely give attention and build a quality relationship with the elderly in everyday life.

 5. Conclusion

Loneliness is a complex phenomenon that has several aspects, but the most common is that feelings of loneliness can occur at all stages of the life course (Lam, Dickson, and Baxter, 2022), regardless of age. In Sweden, research shows that it is most common among older people. Loneliness among older people is seen as a problem related to the health and well-being of older people, and the impression that it is a problem that needs to be solved dominates Swedish press articles (Ågren, 2017). Sweden, as a country aiming for social sustainability goals, is aware of this problem of loneliness and social isolation among older people. Therefore, some preventive and solution-oriented initiatives are being taken at the macro and micro levels of Swedish society to address the problem, starting with politicians in government, the parliament, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations.

As discussed in this essay, the efforts undertaken in addressing the underlying cause of loneliness and social isolation will be effective if attention and the quality of personal relationships are the basis for addressing the issue. The intervention efforts by the government, parliament, and municipality are more effective for those elderly at home and living in the community than for those in long-term care. Sweden needs more significant and long-term solutions, such as involving the participation of society as a whole in small acts of humanity in everyday life. To achieve this goal, people need to start talking about it (Riksförbundet Hjärtlung, 2022), dare to ask for help, and care for one another.

In conclusion, with cooperation at every level of society, from government to parliament to municipal to NGO to personal relationship level, Sweden will be able to effectively address the loneliness and social isolation among the elderly. By focusing on the attention and quality of personal relationships among the elderly, the elderly would be able to live a healthy life and their well-being would improve. Thus the social sustainability goals on Agenda 2030 for an inclusive, sustainable society across generational lines of young people and elderly people would be achievable.

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