Care home research shows significant health benefits of group interaction

‘Water clubs’ at care homes for older people where residents regularly gather together to drink water have significant health benefits an unusual investigation has found.

The benefits to health are from the social nature of the activity as well as the value of drinking water psychologists have said of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded study.

Professor Alex Haslam and his team from the University of Exeter conducted the research where small groups of residents in a care home met together to discuss the benefits of drinking more water and were encouraged to increase their intake of water.

Members of the club who drank water together expressed enhanced wellbeing, fewer falls and better hydration than those who drank water alone.

Professor Haslam said: "It is clear from this research and a series of other investigations that we have carried out that when people belong to a group, the sense of 'us-ness' that this creates plays a critically important role in processes of health and wellbeing.”

Collaborator Professor Catherine Haslam continued: "We refer to this as 'the social cure’ and it is far more potent than many of the other treatments that are out there.

“Whether we are talking about stress, depression, or recovery from stroke, a supportive group life plays a critical role in a person's clinical path."

The study supports other findings that initiatives carried out in groups can be a far more effective way of improving individuals' wellbeing and quality of life.

The researchers, together with another ESRC-funded researcher, Professor Jolanda Jetten, have published their findings in a book, 'The Social Cure', which brings together evidence from around the world showing how groups are central to health and wellbeing.

Professor Jetten, co author of the book said: "Humans are social animals – we have evolved for group life.

"Groups can boost our wellbeing but, at times, they can also drag us down and be a social curse. Precisely because group life is such an important determinant of health and wellbeing, we need to better understand these processes and dynamics.”