Medical experts are urging General Practitioners to screen patients for ‘social frailty’, following new research identifying social isolation as the single biggest risk factor for dementia in late life.
While doctors traditionally focus on physical indicators like blood pressure or hearing loss, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) say a patient’s social life is a more critical predictor of cognitive decline as they age.
“In midlife, risk factors like hearing loss and metabolic syndromes like hypertension and diabetes are very important to prevent and manage,” said Dr Suraj Samtani, a clinical psychologist at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). “But in late life, social isolation is the biggest risk factor for dementia.”
Dr Samtani defines the condition as “social frailty”, describing it as “when we are vulnerable to losing the resources we need to stay socially connected and to fulfil our social needs.”
A recently published study involving 851 participants found that socially frail individuals were up to 50% more likely to develop dementia, even after accounting for physical and psychological health. Globally, data suggests socially isolated people have double the risk.
“This suggests social frailty is not only a key risk factor, but one we can identify early and potentially change,” said study lead author Dr Annabel Matison.
To combat this, the UNSW team has developed an evidence-based index to help GPs screen for the condition, addressing a long-standing gap in preventative care.
“We know that it’s really important to screen for social frailty, which is why we’re recommending this index for physicians or GPs to use, because it asks questions about social connections which are directly relevant to dementia risk,” Dr Samtani said.
The push for better screening comes as the team leads a clinical trial designed to improve social confidence in people already experiencing memory loss. The program focuses on skills often lost with cognitive decline, such as reading body language and maintaining conversations.
“We’re not just doing this research for the sake of research. It’s really important that we are creating change,” Dr Samtani said. “And this can be done not just through medication or high tech interventions, but through the everyday act of staying connected.”
The research has already influenced policy, contributing to a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into loneliness. The submission noted findings that loneliness is as bad for physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Dr Samtani said that while researchers work to expand their data to include more regional and diverse communities, individuals can take immediate action to protect their brain health through meaningful engagement.
“When thinking about social interactions, we encourage people to think about something they care about or enjoy,” he said. “They could volunteer, join a book club, a community class where they do activities together, or a dance group.”
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
