Navigating Loneliness for Seniors
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Recent studies have revealed a concerning trend: 49% of adults today have fewer than three close friends with whom they confide, a number that has doubled since 1990.
Building Stronger Bonds and Connections
The 2023 US Surgeon General’s report on ‘Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ noted that, before the COVID-19 pandemic ended in-person gatherings for so many, about one-in-two adults in the US reported being lonely in a survey conducted in 2020.
Loneliness is not just a bad feeling; it’s also an insult to individual and collective health, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and even premature mortality.
Strikingly, the health impact of social disconnection is comparable to the effect of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The harms caused by social disconnection are at least as harmful as those of obesity and physical inactivity. Studies show that societies with poor connectedness perform worse in schools, workplaces, and civic institutions. Poor performance, reduced productivity, and engagement are critical indicators of disconnection.
Because loneliness and isolation have such high costs, we have a chance and an obligation to invest in social bonds — just as we’ve invested in combatting tobacco use, obesity, and drug addiction. The Surgeon General’s Advisory-1 shows us how to make our own lives and our society more connected.
If we don’t, we’ll pay an increasing price in personal and collective health and wellness, and, ultimately, we’ll split apart entirely as a community, a country, and a society. If we can’t come together to work on the pressing challenges that will define our immediate and long-term futures, then we will continue to retreat into our corners — angry, sick, and alone.
Amid this, there is always something we can do for one another. The power to start is within us at this very moment to unleash the profound power of relationships. A life more engaged, alive and of service can uplift us all. It can come in a gesture – a warm chat with a friend, a meal, a listening ear — each a gift of the spirit.
To address the significant issues of loneliness and isolation, it’s crucial that we take strong and proactive steps to foster connections and enhance community engagement consistently and on an ongoing basis.
1- “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community.”
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