Now these patients are given special offers from doctors
Loneliness and lack of social networks. These are challenges more and more Danes are experiencing and they increase the likelihood of illness.
For example, the medical community in Grenå estimates that about 30% of their weekly patient visits are due to social problems alone or in combination with other health challenges.
The medical visits are pushing health care, and often doctors are unable to do anything about the social challenges.
Therefore, a new EU project will integrate social referrals into the medical house’s practice and investigate the effect of persons in vulnerable positions being helped to voluntary social associations and networks in the local community.
« It is in the social communities that they can find support in everyday life.
Focus on specific groups
Sine Agergaard, together with colleagues at AAU, leads a sub-project in the Social Prescribing Europe project, whose target group is, among other things, refugees and migrants.
This group often seeks a doctor with health challenges, but also loneliness and limited social network, among other things as a result of language difficulties.
The researchers’ thesis is that voluntary social associations and other communities in the local community can provide access to resources and networks that can to some extent address social challenges in vulnerable groups.
« Communities can improve citizens’ social affiliation and quality of life. Therefore, we will explore how social referrals are going and what effect they have, » says Sine Agergaard.
