As a staff member at DOROT, our programs are specifically designed to address the issue of helping older adults to stay connected to others and to society, and to avoid social isolation. Fortunately, the dangers of loneliness as we age are becoming very well known, and new solutions are becoming available. This recent post at Aging in Place Technology Watch highlights major points from a white paper on this issue:
- research now demonstrates the effect of social isolation on multiple health issues
- many more older adults are living alone, although many are lonely even if they live with someone
- as the size and quality of someone’s social network decreases, the risk of loneliness increases
- health issues, e.g. mobility impairments, greatly increase the chance of becoming more socially isolated
- caregivers are also at great risk of becoming more isolated themselves
- untreated hearing loss is especially harmful. I just spoke with an experienced audiologist yesterday who assured me that hearing aids are better and smaller than ever (although the expense can still be an issue)
For many of us (like me) who pride ourselves on our ability to be independent, it is critical to look for ways to find things to do that involve other people. It is inevitable that as we grow older, many of our family and friends will leave us. However, we can find other people who share some of our interests, and find opportunities to enjoy these activities together. For example, if you enjoy taking photos of natural beauty, find others who like that too and enjoy sharing your favorite pictures with each other.
I am fortunate to work at DOROT, which provides multiple ways that older adults in upper Manhattan to socialize through many on site and at home programs. But it’s up to us to make the effort to reach out to others – before we realize that we are spending most of our lives alone. For more ideas, see my post from earlier this year, How to Be Less Lonely As We Age.