Illustration via Getty Images
There is healing power in loving each other and lifting one another up. That sentiment applies to people of any age, but it is especially true for older adults living without family and friends.
Overall, the percentage of Americans living alone has been increasing since the 1940s. Living without family, friends or companionship is detrimental to your health “to the point of social isolation being the negative health equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes daily,” says Gigi Amateau, assistant professor in the department of gerontology at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions.
Because of technology, the pandemic and other factors, social engagement is declining, which contributes to increased social isolation and loneliness. Along with the fact that older adults in the United States are more likely to live alone than in other countries, Americans could be aging into a looming national health crisis. “U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently released a special advisory on the lack of social connection as a public health issue for American adults of all ages,” Amateau says.
The first step in making a connection is “infusing our daily lives with positive social gestures and interactions with the people we come into contact with,” she says.
While everyone is different in the amount of connection they need or want, a significant change in demeanor or daily life could be a sign that someone needs support.
“Outward changes in routine or personality can be the result of an adverse event or difficult transition in someone’s life,” Amateau says. “Of course, noticing a change is more likely when we maintain a connection whereby we understand what a person’s everyday quality of life is like.”
There is no single story about what it is like to be old.
—Gigi Amateau, VCU gerontology professor
Amateau recently conducted a study exploring social connection among 12,000 older Virginians ranging in age from 60 to 106. Two patterns stood out to her. The first: People from ages 95 to 106 had the highest degree of self-perceived positive social connection.
“The phrases ‘senior’ or ‘older adult’ are typically used to describe a life stage of 40 or more years,” Amateau says. “Think about it: Being 60 is different from being 90, just as being 20 is different from being 50. This finding was a strong reminder for me that there is no single story about what it is like to be old.”
Amateau also notes that people who lived through four or more life events that they described as stressful (such as loss of a loved one, a personal health crisis, a change in housing or crime victimization) had the lowest degree of self-perceived positive social connection.
Senior Connections runs Friendship Cafés, including this one in Mechanicsville, to foster social connection among communities of older adults. (Photo courtesy Senior Connections)
Thanks to the federal Older Americans Act, every city and county in each state and territory has an area agency on aging that can offer assistance and resources for older adults. In the greater Richmond region, Senior Connections offers opportunities to connect, engage, volunteer and access resources to support people’s goals for quality of life.
The organization’s novel solution to social isolation issues comes in the form of Friendship Cafés, gathering places for anyone older than 60 and living independently to get a meal, interact and build relationships with others across seven counties and the city of Richmond.
“It’s important to appreciate our seniors,” Amateau says. “I cherish my elders because they make me happy. My grandmother taught me that I can change and grow and thrive through adversity. My granddaddy showed me the pathway to joy: faith, the greatest gift of my life.”
