The effect of letter writing on a long-term care resident with loneliness.
Elizabeth M Long
PMID 36446660WHAT IT FOUND
One long-term care resident's loneliness score was 33 of 60 before and 12 of 60 after 10 weeks of weekly letters, artwork, crafts, other creative correspondence and a stamped return envelope.
She said she felt more connected. This is one person, not proof it works.
Key findings
01The resident's UCLA Loneliness Scale score was 33 of 60 before letters were sent and 12 of 60 after the 10-week correspondence period.
02Three UCLA Loneliness Scale items changed from 'I often feel this way' before to 'I rarely feel this way' after: unhappy doing so many things alone, lack companionship, and feel left out.
03The resident sent 4 letters to the student and said the letters gave her something to talk about with other residents and made her feel more connected.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so it describes what happened to one person and does not show that the letters caused the loneliness score to change. The intervention included weekly letters, artwork, crafts, other creative correspondence and a stamped return envelope, so the contribution of any one part cannot be separated. The resident had lived in the facility for 5 years, lived alone, had family out of state, and was in a period of visitor restrictions, so the result may not apply to other residents or settings. The paper mentions an ongoing project and anecdotal data from other residents, but it does not report outcomes for them.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that letter writing reduces loneliness in long-term care residents. This report describes one resident's score change after weekly letters, artwork, crafts, other creative correspondence and a stamped return envelope, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.