Coalition for Older Adults’ Social Connectedness, San Francisco

“Being connected to others is widely considered a fundamental human need, crucial to both well-being and survival.”

Carla Perissinotto, MD, U.S. Senate Hearing June 2020

Associate Professor of Medicine, UCSF Department of Medicine

About Us

San Francisco’s first ever Coalition for Older Adults’ Social Connectedness aims to boost social wellbeing for older adults in the Bay Area. To subscribe to our newsletter, please click here.

Our Mission

COASC-SF will unite community partners working to boost older adults’ social connectedness to share resources and insight on how to address social isolation and loneliness among the older population. Bringing together these partners will lead to coherent and cross-sector actions to boost older adults’ social connectedness.

Our Vision

COASC-SF envisions a San Francisco Bay Area in which older adults lead quality lives enriched with engaging, supportive, and evidence-based social interactions and programs.

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events. Check back in to see any future updates!

Previous Events

Members of the COASC-SF and the UCSF research team presented at the American Society on Aging Conference on March 27-30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. See handouts from our presentations below!

Barriers and Facilitators to Telemedicine for Older Adults in Specialty Clinics can be found here.

Community Based Organization's Perceptions on Evaluation can be found here.

Show me the Data! Leveraging Qualitative Data for Impact on Wednesday April 27, 2022, 10am - noon PT.

Welcome and Intro slides by Dr. Carla Perissinotto
Anecdotes to Qualitative Data slides by Katie Wade and Katrina Hough

The Fundamentals of Program Evaluation and Impact on Wednesday June 16, 2021, 2pm – 4pm PT.

The agenda for the event can be viewed here; the presentation slides are below:

Download slides for Dr. Janet Myers' presentation on "Program evaluation:
History, overview and why it matters for your program" here.
Download slides for Dr. Ashwin Kotwal's presentation on "Measuring Loneliness and Social Isolation and Collecting Data among Older Adults" here.

Founding Partners

Covia promotes and cultivates healthy communities for positive aging through an innovative continuum that actively supports the whole person. Covia’s connection programs, Well Connected, Well Connected Español, and Social Call creatively connect older adults across the country to group activities and to other individuals through accessible phone and video conferencing. Creative Spark supports professionals working in social engagement programs with older adults.
Curry Senior Center has been dedicated to helping homeless and low-income seniors and older adults living in San Francisco Civic Center neighborhoods for over 49 years. Many of Curry's programs target the reduction of social isolation, including the technology-based Senior Vitality and Curry Tech Support, the peer-based Addressing the Needs of Socially Isolated Older Adults, and the in-home Wellness Nursing program.
The Joseph and Vera Long Foundation, originally established in 1966, is a private, family foundation that provides financial support to qualified not-for-profit organizations working to improve the communities of Northern California and Hawaii. The Foundation targets funding opportunities in the fields of conservation, education and healthcare.
SIR has enhanced the lives of senior men members and their spouse/partners through fun activities, luncheons and events for over 60 years. The 100+ Branches cover most of Northern California from Bakersfield to the Oregon border and San Francisco Bay to Nevada.

Resources

National Academies of Sciences, E. and Medicine (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington, DC, The National Academies Press. https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25663/social-isolation-and-loneliness-in-older-adults-opportunities-for-the
"The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Loneliness, Depression, and Social Engagement in Long-Term Care." Theurer, K. A., et al. (2020). J Appl Gerontol: 733464820910939. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32228275/
“Ways to help older neighbors and relatives in isolation (and how they can help you).” The Washington Post. Amenabar, Teddy, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/05/06/seniors-isolation-quarantine-help-how-to/
“Covid-19 Is Making America's Loneliness Epidemic Even Worse.” Time. Ducharme, Jamie, 2020. https://time.com/5833681/loneliness-covid-19/
“How curing loneliness can increase longevity and health.” The Jewish News of Northern California. Saliman, Jerry, 2020. https://www.jweekly.com/2020/10/13/how-curing-loneliness-can-increase-longevity-and-health/
"Preventing social isolation in older people." Cotterell, N., et al. (2018). Maturitas 113: 80-84. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29903652/

Research Opportunities

Coming soon

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