Today, we are talking about loneliness. Loneliness and social isolation are growing public health concerns for people of all ages in the United States, from adolescence to the elderly. Public health experts are worried because loneliness seems to be on the rise, and studies have long found correlations between loneliness and an assortment of medical conditions that threaten health and longevity.
The problem of loneliness may be even greater than we thought. A new national poll found that about a third of older Americans are lonely, and almost as many seniors feel isolated. This is a serious problem as research shows that chronic loneliness is particularly harmful to senior citizens. That's because it can impair older adults' memory and damage their physical and mental health. Chronic loneliness even impacts the life expectancy of seniors, increasing their risk of early mortality.
Let's take a closer look at that poll now. More than a third of seniors in the poll said they felt lonely at least some of the time, and 27% said they sometimes or often felt isolated. This reflects how much time the seniors spent with others. Almost 30% said they socialized with friends, family or neighbors once a week or less. Women were more likely than men to report loneliness.
But there is good news. It looks like loneliness can be reversed. But researchers are still trying to determine the best way to do so. Why is that? Resolving the problem of loneliness among seniors often isn't as simple as getting them together with others or moving them in with their children. In fact, the poll found that seniors who lived with their children were more likely to report feeling lonely than those who didn't. This may be because loneliness refers to the discrepancy between actual and desired relationships. So it's possible that someone who lives alone doesn't meet that definition, while someone in a house full of busy people does.
How can we solve the problem? Well, the researchers assert that it's important to address each person's underlying cause of loneliness, whether it's the death of a spouse, medical problems, or social expectations that haven't been fulfilled. It's noteworthy that there is one general recommendation. While finding solutions for loneliness is highly personal, research suggests the best interventions are those that involve meaningful social contact at least once a week. Depending on the person, that could mean volunteering, seeing an old friend or something else.