Assessment tool example
A tool which may be helpful in identifying someone who may benefit from a social prescribing intervention around social isolation is the Office of National Statistics guidance on measuring loneliness.17
This is based on the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) three-item loneliness scale (drawn from the 20 questions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale developed in the 1970s) and a fourth direct measure of loneliness question.17,18
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Question type |
Questions |
Possible answers |
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UCLA Loneliness Scale questions |
How often do you feel that you lack companionship? |
· Hardly ever or never · Some of the time · Often |
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How often do you feel left out? |
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How often do you feel isolated from others? |
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direct measure of loneliness |
How often do you feel lonely? |
· Often/always · Some of the time · Occasionally · Hardly ever · Never |