#PAGE_PARAMS# #ADS_HEAD_SCRIPTS# #MICRODATA#
preLekára.sk / Journals / General Practitioner / 2025 - 2

Beyond medications: social prescribing for older persons

Czech version

Authors: B. Novotná 1;  A. Bártová 2;  G. Šlemarová 1;  K. Macháčová 1;  I. Holmerová 1
Authors‘ workplace: Univerzita Karlova, Praha, Fakulta humanitních studií, Děkanka: doc. Věra Sokolová, Ph. D., Centrum pro studium dlouhověkosti a dlouhodobé péče (CELLO), Vedoucí: doc. MUDr Iva Holmerová Ph. D. 1;  Univerzita Karlova, Praha, Husitská teologická fakulta, Děkan: doc. ThDr. Jiří Vogel, Th. D., Katedra psychosociálních věd a etiky, Vedoucí: doc. PhDr. ThDr. Noemi Bravená, Th. D., Ph. D. 2
Published in: Prakt. Lék. 2025; 105(2): 78-84
Category: Of different specialties

Overview

Novotná B, Bártová A, Šlemarová G, Macháčová K, Holmerová I. Beyond medications: Social prescribing for older persons

Introduction: Current demographic trends are increasing the need to develop effective approaches to support the growing older population, particularly in areas such as mental health, well-being, and self-sufficiency. General practitioners are increasingly encountering patients whose needs extend beyond pharmacological treatment. One emerging approach is known as social prescribing – the recommendation of non-pharmacological and community-based interventions as part of comprehensive care. Conceptual Framework: Social prescribing is an innovative, interdisciplinary approach that integrates professional healthcare and social services with informal support and locally available community resources while also reducing the burden on the health care system. Its primary aim is to provide individualized care tailored to the needs of each person and their community context. The emphasis is on encouraging meaningful participation and active engagement in community life, considering the individual’s health, social, emotional, and practical needs.

Research-Based example: The article also presents the international RECETAS study, which investigates the potential of nature-based social prescribing interventions to reduce loneliness and enhance the quality of life among older adults living in urban environments. The study explores how healthcare can be meaningfully linked to community programs that support mental health and social inclusion. Conclusion: Social prescribing offers a promising complement to traditional care and has the potential to enrich clinical practice in the Czech Republic. It promotes active aging, mental well-being, and the integration of formal and informal support systems for older people. However, broader implementation requires further expert discussion, empirical validation, and institutional integration into the health and social care systems.

Keywords:

Quality of life – aging – loneliness – social prescribing – aged – complementary therapies – community health services

Sources
    1. Ageing and health [on line]. World Health Organization 2022 revision 2024 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://www.who.int/ news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
    2. Anderson T, Neupert G. Pressing Reset, Original Strength Reloaded: A FontLife Publication, LLC 2015.
    3. Coll-Planas L, Aresté N, Constant A, et al. Nature-based social interventions to address loneliness: a participatory feasibility study in urban areas. BMC Public Health 2024. Dostupný z: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17547-x
    4. ČSÚ představil souhrnný pohled na seniory [on line]. Český statistický úřad 2022-01-22 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https:// www.czso.cz/csu/czso/csu-predstavil-souhrnny-pohled-na--seniory
    1. Dahlgren G, Whitehead M. [on line] The Dahlgren-Whitehead model of health determinants: 30 years on and still chasing rainbows. Public Health 2021 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.08.009
    2. Dahlgren G, Whitehead M. World Health Organization [on line]. Levelling up (part 2): a discussion paper on European strategies for tackling social inequities in health. WHO Regional Office for Europe 2006 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://iris. who.int/handle/10665/107791
    3. Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health [on line]. World Health Organization, Geneva 2017 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/ 9789241513500
    4. Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 – State of Health in the EU Cycle [on line]. OECD/European Union, Paris 2024 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://doi.org/10.1787/b3704e14-en
    5. How Many Healthy Life Years for EU Men and Women? [on line] Evropská komise, Eurostat News 2022 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20220613-1
    1. Holmerová I. Dlouhodobá péče: geriatrické aspekty a kvalita péče. Grada Publishing 2014.
    2. Huber M, Knottnerus J, Green L, et al. [on line] How should we define health? BMJ 2011 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https:// doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d4163
    3. Jansson AH, Savikko NM, Pitkälä KH. [on line] Training professionals to implement a group model for alleviating loneliness among older people – 10-year follow-up study. Educational Gerontology 2018., Dostupný z: https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277. 2017.1420005
    4. Jill S. Litt, Laura Coll-Planas, Ashby Lavelle Sachs, et al. Nature-based social interventions for people experiencing loneliness: the rationale and overview of the RECETAS project. Cities & Health 2024. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2023.2300207
    5. Kilgarriff-Foster A, O’Cathain A. [on line] Exploring the components and impact of social prescribing. Journal of Public Mental Health 2015 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://doi. org/10.1108/JPMH-06-2014-0027
    6. Leavell MA, Leiferman JA, Gascon M, et al. [on line] Nature-Based Social Prescribing in Urban Settings to Improve Social Connectedness and Mental Well-being: A Review. Current Environmental Health Reports 2019 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-019-00251-7
    1. Muhl C, Mulligan K, Bayoumi I, et al. [on line] Establishing Internationally Accepted Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Social Prescribing Through Expert Consensus: A Delphy Study. BMJ MedRxiv 2022 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.14.22282098v1
    1. Ondrušová J. Sociální gerontologie a geriatrie. Univerzita Karlova 2017.
    2. Palgi Y, Shrira A, Ring L, et al. [on line] The loneliness pandemic: Loneliness and other concomitants of depression, anxiety and their comorbidity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Affective Disorders 2020 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.036
    3. ScienceDaily [on line]. Social isolation, loneliness could be greater threat to public health than obezity. American Psychological Association 2024-02-03 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: www. sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170805165319.htm
    4. Social determinants of Health Discussion paper no.10 [on line]. World Health Organization 2017 [cit.2025-0331]. Dostupný z: https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1
    1. Stárnutí v Praze: Výzkum. SCaC pro Hlavní město Praha 2022
    2. Strategický rámec přípravy na stárnutí společnosti 2021-2025 [on line]. Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí ČR 2021 [cit.202503-31]. Dostupný z: https://www.mpsv.cz/strategicky-ramec-pripravy-na-starnuti-spolecnosti-2021-2025
    1. Ulrich RS, Simons RF, Losito BD, et al. Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of environmental psychology 1991; 11(3): 201–230.
    2. Věková skladba obyvatel Česka se výrazně promění [on line]. Český statistický úřad 2018-11-28 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/vekova-skladba-obyvatel-ceska--se-vyrazne-promeni
    1. Září opět nabídne seniorům možnost zapojit se do programu proti osamělosti [on line]. Fakulta humanitních studií Univerzity Karlovy 2023-08-23 [cit.2025-03-31]. Dostupný z: https://fhs. cuni.cz/FHS-3039.html.
Labels
General practitioner for children and adolescents General practitioner for adults
Current recommendations for screening and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and prediabetes – the importance of glycated haemoglobin
Citizens’ opinions on some aspects of the activities of general practitioners 2024
Interpretation of serological results in the diagnosis of infectious diseases
The impact of misunderstanding and limited professional autonomy of general nurses working in intensive care on the development of burnout syndrome
Olfactory impairment as a biomarker in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in primary care
Kardiovaskulární rehabilitace a prevence
Pokyny pro autory
Article was published in

General Practitioner

2025 Issue 2
Popular this week
Most read in this issue
Login
Forgotten password

Enter the email address that you registered with. We will send you instructions on how to set a new password.

Login

Don‘t have an account?  Create new account

#ADS_BOTTOM_SCRIPTS#