Loneliness

Older members of the LGBTQ+ community have never had it easy. In addition to navigating all of the challenges older adults generally confront- such as physical limitations or cognitive impairment, loneliness and social isolation, loss of relationships, and financial challenges- these older adults have also likely dealt with a lifetime…

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…

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…

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,…

It will come as no surprise to most of you that loneliness continues to be a significant public and personal health problem in our country, as new data from Gallup reports the ongoing significance of the problem. According to a just-released survey as part of the Gallup National Health and…

It’s no surprise that older individuals often feel lonely, as close family and friends become distant or have passed away, and as illness and disability make it harder to connect and gather. We’ve covered this topic on many previous occasions but it’s still jarring to read new research that confirms…