Commit to Connect Materials

• Social Isolation: An Overview. A summary of key facts and links to technical assistance and resources related to addressing social isolation.
• Getting Started: Resources & Technical Assistance. Strategies, programs, action steps, and tools to support social engagement and related programs.
• Measuring Social Isolation. Tips, recommendations, and lessons learned from collecting and analyzing data on social isolation.

Other Resources

Customizable Materials & Tools

• AARP Livable Communities. AARP. Toolkits, how-to guides, and to easy-to-use materials that promote livable communities for people of all ages.
• Engaged and Connected Blog Posts. engAGED National Resource Center. A six-part series of grab-and-go posts on older adults staying engaged during COVID-19.
• Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology Tool. LeadingAge. Hands-on resources to help organizations use technology to connect and engage with older adults.

Promising Practices & Examples

• Addressing Social Isolation for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Crisis. ADvancing States. Creative and thoughtful approaches for addressing social isolation and loneliness in older adults.
• Care for Wellbeing of Older Adults During COVID-19: Connecting While Social Distancing. Humanitarian Disaster Institute. Suggestions from the faith-based academic disaster research center at Wheaton College.
• Pandemic Playbook. LeadingAge. Interactive collection of insights and critical lessons learned serving older adults during COVID-19.
• Pass It On Center. Georgia Tech’s National AT Reuse Center. Resources on how to safely and effectively reuse assistive technology (AT).
• Project HELLO. Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging. A volunteer-based effort that connects older adults in need of socialization with friendly volunteers.
• Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology for Long-Term and Post-Acute Care: A Primer and Provider Selection Guide. LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technology. White paper for senior service providers.
• New York and Alabama have received local and national media attention for their use of robotic pets to combat loneliness at long-term care facilities.

Webinars

• Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). October 6, 2021. Current research by the University of Pittsburgh on social isolation and loneliness for caregivers of older adults and people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Using the National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) to Explore the Experience of Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Rural and Urban People with Disabilities. ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). September 9, 2021. Current research by the University of Montana on social isolation and loneliness for rural and urban people with disabilities.
• Never Being Sought after by Anyone for Anything: Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses. ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). August 2021. Current research by Temple University on social isolation and loneliness for individuals with serious mental illnesses.
• Social Isolation and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Findings from the 50-Year SCI Longitudinal Aging Study. ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). July 2021. Current research by the Medical University of South Carolina on social isolation and loneliness for individuals aging with spinal cord injury.
• Emergency Broadband Benefit Webinar for Consumers and Outreach Partners. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). April 2021. Overview of eligibility criteria, how to apply, and the FCC’s partner toolkit materials. Transcript
• Improving Social Connection Among People with Disabilities. Administration for Community Living. March 2021. Current research on social isolation and loneliness for people with disabilities, as well as strategies for social engagement and connection. Transcript, Slides