Isolation / Loneliness

A recent public survey clearly tells the story of loneliness among older adults: 34% of older adults surveyed feel isolated, and 37% suffer from a lack of companionship. As one expert makes clear, “When Mondays are like Thursdays are like Saturdays, life can be rather drab, miserable, and meaningless.” Beyond…

Whether your goal is squash or sunflowers, you’re likely gearing up for this year’s gardening season. Gardening is a great way to distract from the stress of daily life, and according to one recent study, it’s more than just a pleasurable hobby. In fact, it’s a “multicomponent intervention” that combines…

There’s no getting around the reality that for so many older adults, loneliness continues to be an overbearing part of everyday life. As we have noted in previous posts, even if you have contact with other people and you’re not socially isolated, you may still experience profound loneliness (the subjective…

While many things can put you at risk for Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, as you likely know, there are also many actions you can take to alter your lifestyle and lower your risk for being diagnosed with dementia. Whether it be through living a more physically active…

We live in an era when problems outpace solutions and more help is necessary than we can possibly provide. We also live during a time when volunteers are stepping up in significant numbers to provide much-needed help. And at the same time, evidence is mounting to demonstrate that valuable health…

Unfortunately, this new year starts the same as previous years when it comes to the predicament of loneliness among older adults. An end-of-2024 study released by the National Poll On Healthy Aging reports that even though rates of loneliness and social isolation among older adults have returned to “pre-pandemic” levels,…