{"id":10411,"date":"2016-11-30T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10411"},"modified":"2020-10-13T20:45:57","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T01:45:57","slug":"why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/10\/Why-Loneliness-Can-Be-Fatal-in-Seniors-and-How-to-Help.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10599\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10599\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/10\/Why-Loneliness-Can-Be-Fatal-in-Seniors-and-How-to-Help-350x293.png\" alt=\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help\" width=\"350\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/10\/Why-Loneliness-Can-Be-Fatal-in-Seniors-and-How-to-Help-350x293.png 350w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/10\/Why-Loneliness-Can-Be-Fatal-in-Seniors-and-How-to-Help-768x644.png 768w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/10\/Why-Loneliness-Can-Be-Fatal-in-Seniors-and-How-to-Help.png 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>to Help<\/h1>\n<p>Health researchers, geriatric experts, and mental health counselors are sounding an alarm over the rising numbers of lonely seniors. That\u2019s because several groups of researchers have found that loneliness is more often fatal for seniors than obesity and that it carries health risks on par with smoking more than half pack of cigarettes each day. A number of studies from the past few years show that social isolation in seniors is a risk factor for a startlingly long list of health problems as well as emotional pain. Here\u2019s a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.<\/p>\n<h2>Loneliness is a widespread problem in many countries<\/h2>\n<p>As more people live longer\u2014and live alone longer\u2014the number of deeply isolated seniors is rising. The New York Times reported that in the US and the UK, as many as 46% of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/09\/06\/health\/lonliness-aging-health-effects.html?mwrsm=Email&amp;_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">adults over age 60 feel lonely<\/a><\/strong> often. Another study from 2012, reported by The Guardian, found that about 20% of UK <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2014\/feb\/16\/loneliness-twice-as-unhealthy-as-obesity-older-people\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seniors felt lonely \u201call the time.\u201d<\/a><\/strong> A small-town helpline for lonely seniors in the UK gets more than 10,000 calls a week from older adults who talk to volunteers about everything from daily tasks to wartime memories.<\/p>\n<h2>Loneliness does measurable damage to seniors\u2019 physical and mental health<\/h2>\n<p>The growing number of lonely seniors is more than a sad social phenomenon. It\u2019s also a serious public health problem. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.campaigntoendloneliness.org\/threat-to-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonely seniors are at increased risk<\/a> <\/strong>for<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Depression, cognitive decline, and clinical dementia<\/li>\n<li>Chronic high blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>Decreased ability to fight infections<\/li>\n<li>Mobility problems and falls<\/li>\n<li>Death from heart attacks, strokes, and suicide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Scientists, according to the Times report, think they\u2019ve found the part of the brain that controls the sensation of loneliness, and they\u2019ve even observed neurochemical changes the brains of test mice after just a day of isolation. Worse, loneliness can trigger a behavior called <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/articles\/health_and_science\/medical_examiner\/2013\/08\/dangers_of_loneliness_social_isolation_is_deadlier_than_obesity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social evasion<\/a> <\/strong>that reduces the motivation to try to connect with others, creating an unhealthy cycle of isolation.<\/p>\n<h2>Programs to reduce seniors\u2019 isolation<\/h2>\n<p>In many countries, volunteers and first responders are learning to help\u00a0lonely\u00a0seniors\u00a0form social connections to improve their mental and their physical\u00a0health. In addition to helplines in the UK, there are programs to help firefighters spot signs of senior isolation during home safety inspections. In the US, the University of Washington\u2019s <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pearlsprogram.org\/Our-Program\/Our-Approach.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives for Seniors<\/a><\/strong> (PEARLS) focuses primarily on seniors with signs of depression, which goes hand-in-hand with loneliness. PEARLS\u00a0piggybacks on existing senior service programs to help clients manage depression symptoms, get out of the house for social and fitness activities, and find activities and hobbies they will enjoy.<\/p>\n<h2>How you can prevent senior loneliness<\/h2>\n<p>Each of us has the power <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aplaceformom.com\/blog\/6-20-16-things-you-can-do-to-combat-senior-isolation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to help seniors feel less isolated<\/a><\/strong>. If you don\u2019t live close enough to your parents to visit\u00a0regularly, you can schedule video chats, hire <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/in-home-care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in-home help<\/a><\/strong> to give your parents regular human contact, and arrange rides to social events, the library, and other places besides the doctor\u2019s office. Moving to an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/assisted-living\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">assisted living community<\/a><\/strong> can offer a built-in social calendar and the possibility of new friendships. If your parents\u2019 isolation is extreme or you see signs of depression, talk to\u00a0their doctor. Find more ideas for\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ee;\"><u>combatting<\/u><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/the-very-real-dangers-of-senior-loneliness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0senior loneliness<\/a><\/strong> on the SeniorAdvisor.com blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help Health researchers, geriatric experts, and mental health counselors are sounding an alarm over the rising numbers of lonely seniors. That\u2019s because several groups of researchers have found that loneliness is more often fatal for seniors than obesity and that it carries health risks on par with smoking more than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,199,200,29,27,35],"tags":[355,14,30,388,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-10411","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-assisted-living","7":"category-business-owners","8":"category-families-caregivers","9":"category-caregiving","10":"category-in-home-care","11":"category-senior-health-fitness","12":"tag-aging-in-place","13":"tag-assisted-living-2","14":"tag-caregiving-2","15":"tag-home-care","16":"tag-senior-health"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SeniorAdvisor.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-30T13:00:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-14T01:45:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casey Kelly-Barton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casey Kelly-Barton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/\",\"name\":\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-30T13:00:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-14T01:45:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a97863c1f6d466031974be45ce9c8e08\"},\"description\":\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SeniorAdvisor.com Blog\",\"description\":\"Empowering Families in their Search for Care\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a97863c1f6d466031974be45ce9c8e08\",\"name\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton\"},\"description\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance writer whose childhood was made awesome by her grandmothers, great-grandmother, great-aunts and -uncles, and their friends.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/author\/caseykb\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog","description":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog","og_description":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.","og_site_name":"SeniorAdvisor.com Blog","article_published_time":"2016-11-30T13:00:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-14T01:45:57+00:00","author":"Casey Kelly-Barton","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casey Kelly-Barton","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/","url":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/","name":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-11-30T13:00:54+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-14T01:45:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a97863c1f6d466031974be45ce9c8e08"},"description":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help: a look at the problem and possible solutions for families, friends, and caregivers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/why-loneliness-can-be-fatal-in-seniors-and-how-to-help\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Loneliness Can Be Fatal in Seniors and How to Help"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/","name":"SeniorAdvisor.com Blog","description":"Empowering Families in their Search for Care","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a97863c1f6d466031974be45ce9c8e08","name":"Casey Kelly-Barton","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Casey Kelly-Barton"},"description":"Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance writer whose childhood was made awesome by her grandmothers, great-grandmother, great-aunts and -uncles, and their friends.","url":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/author\/caseykb\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10411"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15346,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411\/revisions\/15346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}