Co-Development of a Web-Based Hub (eSocial-hub) to Combat Social Isolation and Loneliness in Francophone and Anglophone Older People in the Linguistic Minority Context (Quebec, Manitoba, and New Brunswick): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Interventional Study

The authors note that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic severely hit Canadian nursing facilities (81% of deaths). To this toll, public health measures (eg, visitation restriction) subsequently deepened the social isolation and loneliness of residents in nursing facilities (NFs), especially those in linguistic minority settings: Anglophone institutions in Quebec and Francophone institutions outside Quebec. However, very few COVID-19 initiatives targeting these populations specifically have been documented. Given the limited number of NFs serving linguistic minorities in Canadian populations, families and loved ones often live far from these facilities, sometimes even in other provinces. The authors found that this context places the digital solutions as particularly relevant for the COVID-19 pandemic as well as in the post–COVID-19 era. Their project aims to co-develop a virtual community of practice through a web-based platform (eSocial-hub) to combat social isolation and loneliness among the older people in linguistic minority settings in Canada. The authors proposed developing an interventional study using a sequential mixed methods design will be conducted. Six purposely selected NFs will be included; two Francophone facilities in Manitoba and two Francophone facilities in New Brunswick, and two Anglophone NFs in Quebec. The authors hope that their project will develop a promising and generalizable solution that uses virtual technology to help reduce social isolation and loneliness among the older people.

JMIR Research Protocols

Vol. 10

no. 9

2021

en