From Loneliness to Solitude in Person-Centred Health Care

This innovative book provides a new conceptual analysis of loneliness - a condition associated with severe health consequences, including increased morbidity and early death. Arguing that social connection is not the only answer, it explores pathways for transforming loneliness to healthy solitude. The first part of the book draws on the humanities and arts, including psychology, philosophy and literature to analyse the common, and potentially serious, problem of loneliness. Making the case that the condition is less a deficiency than a state of self-disconnection that modernity feeds through social forces, Buetow looks at how person-centred health care to help educate persons to transform loneliness into healthy solitude. The second part of the book provides an analysis of self-connection and spiritual connection, discussing how these forms of contact can mitigate risks associated with both lack of social connection, and social connection itself such as self-disconnection and rejection by others. It goes on to demonstrate that connection to the self and spirit can facilitate access to benefits of connecting with others. This thought-provoking book provides students, scholars and practitioners from a range of health and social care backgrounds with a new way of thinking about, researching and practising with lonely people--