Loneliness and Depression in Acute Geriatric Inpatients

Loneliness and depression are common in older people, but there are very few studies on geriatric inpatients. Our study examines the incidence of loneliness and depression in a clinical sample. It identifies predictors of loneliness and compares two screening instruments for the assessment of depression. We included a total of 174 patients from an acute geriatric clinic in the study (age MW 83.9 years; 64.9% female). In addition to investigating the experience of loneliness by asking a question about the experience of loneliness as part of the admission, we recorded the presence of depression using two screening procedures. We also examined the group differences between lonely and depressed patients and possible predictors of loneliness. 26.4% of patients felt lonely and were significantly younger and more depressed than nonlonely patients. Significant predictors of loneliness were the living situation (living alone) and depression. The Whooley two-question test proved to be an economical alternative to the GDS-15. Patients at risk could be identified well with screening procedures and, if necessary, interventions could be provided.