The Impact of Kinlessness on Older Adults with Advanced Heart Failure

Abstract

Markers of social health, including kinlessness, social isolation and loneliness, have important implications for quality of life and health for older adults. As the population ages, there is a growing cohort of kinless older adults without living partners or children, particularly among disadvantaged groups. Kinlessness has been associated with worse mental and physical health, significant unmet care needs, increased risk of dementia, higher rates of long-term placement, and higher mortality rates than those for patients with kin. Although other markers of social health have been studied in patients with heart failure, little is known about kinlessness in this population of patients. This review outlines the data on kinlessness and its impact on patients’ outcomes, and it proposes novel interventions to mitigate its effects.