Assessment of loneliness and factors that modify it in the group of patients staying in the Admissions Department with particular emphasis on the frequency of stays

Introduction
Loneliness is a growing civilisation problem of the 21st century, affecting physiology, psyche, and other aspects of the quality of human life. Seniors take different attitudes towards old age; the study focused on one of the groups of elderly people – patients.

Aim of the study
The purpose of the paper was to assess the occurrence of loneliness and factors modifying it in patients staying in the Admissions De-partment (AD).

Material and methods
The study involved 108 people over 65 years of age brought to the AD by the Medical Rescue Team or reporting themselves, with a referral. The study used a diagnostic survey method and a questionnaire technique. The research tool was the author’s questionnaire and the De Jong Gierveld and Kamphuis scale for measurement of loneliness in the Polish adaptation of Grygiel, Humenny, Rębisz, Świt-aj, and Sikorska-Grygiel.

Results
The occurrence was found of a statistical relationship between sense of loneliness and civil status, social group, inhabitation, and distance of residence from the closest people. The influence of marital status and sense of loneliness on the frequency of visits to the AD was also proven.

Conclusions
The factors associated with the sense of loneliness among persons staying in the AD were participation in the pensioner/widower group, as well as the residence of the closest persons and distance of residence. More frequent stays in the AD in patients with the diagnosis “Hypertension” and “Malaise, fatigue” were associated with a higher sense of loneliness in the study group.