Helping Seniors Avoid Isolation

Unfortunately, isolation among seniors is alarmingly common, and will continue to increase in prevalence as the population grows. Learn how to help your loved ones stay healthy by reading more on the top ways to help seniors avoid isolation.

 “With a prevalence of over 40% and the sheer number of older persons projected to increase exponentially… social isolation will likely impact the health, well-being and quality of life of numerous older person now and in the foreseeable future.”

Considering the demonstrated risks and the increasing prevalence of this issue, it’s certainly worth addressing how we can promote social integration among our older loved ones, and even ourselves – for it has been shown that family caregivers are themselves at a high risk of social isolation.

Here are the top ways to promote connectedness and social health:

1. Help Seniors Get Out of the House

Lack of adequate transportation is a primary cause of a social isolation. Because many seniors do not drive, this is a big issue for them, so anything that helps seniors get around and make independent choices about travel promotes their social health. Family offering rides to older loved ones and helping them to learn to use public transportation will also help them maintain social connections and a healthy sense of independence.

2. Encourage Seniors to Remain Active

Seniors with a sense of purpose or hobbies that interest them are less likely to succumb to the negative effects of social isolation. Besides providing a sense of purpose, many hobbies and interests are inherently social in nature. Anything that involves a group, for example, playing bridge, could be said to be socially healthy. Taking part of activities at the local senior center or volunteering is also great way of maintaining and expressing a sense of purpose.

3. Encourage Seniors to Continue Going to their Places of Worship

For seniors who have been regular church or synagogue goers, this weekly social connection has been shown to be quite beneficial. It has been found that those who frequently attend religious services have been found to have lower mortality rates than those with infrequent attendance.  Older church goers not only benefit from the social interaction and sense of purpose that weekly worship provides, but they also benefit from the watchful eye of other churchgoers, who are likely to recognize a decline in an isolated senior that may have gone unnoticed otherwise.

4. Give a Senior Something to Take Care Of

Many experts note that the act of nurturing can relieve feelings of social isolation. It has been found that pet owners 1)remain engaged socially, have less depression, 2)suffer less loneliness, 3) feel more secure, 4)have more motivation for constructive use of time and 5)require less medication than non-pet owners.. Assuming the senior is capable of caring for a pet, nurturing and caring for an animal companion can be quite beneficial. Even tending a garden can satisfy our nurturing drive, so giving a senior a plant or gardening supplies as a gift can be beneficial too.

5. Encourage a Positive Body Image

Compliments and positive comments can go a long way to boosting the self-esteem of seniors. Similarly, discouraging seniors from fretting over their appearance or worrying about the cosmetic effects of aging may help them avoid becoming self-conscious to the point that they avoid social interactions. For seniors who are genuinely overweight, addressing the root problem by encouraging weight loss through healthy eating and exercise can be helpful too, but always be positive and sensitive in efforts to encourage older loved ones to lose weight.

6. Encourage Use of Walkers, Hearing Aids, etc.

Using walkers and hearing aids help seniors to compensate for age related deficits and deficiencies that can impede social interaction. Sometimes they may be embarrassed because they don’t want to appear or feel old. In other cases, the device may be overly expensive and not covered by insurance. Both as a society and in our own families we can encourage and facilitate the use of adaptive aids that make it possible for seniors to have active and involved social lives.

7. Notify Neighbors

Because socially isolated seniors may be vulnerable to a variety of unexpected problems and may have underlying issues such as dementia, their loved ones should consider informing neighbors that there is a vulnerable adult in the neighborhood. Trusted neighbors should be introduced to the senior and asked to keep a friendly eye out in case anything seems amiss.

8. Encourage Dining with Others

The act of eating with others is inherently social. Food is almost always shared; people eat together; mealtimes are events when the whole family or settlement or village comes together. Encourage seniors to share a meal with others whenever possible, whether it’s with a church group, the local senior center, or a friendly café or diner.

9. Give a Hug

Those deprived of touch can experience decreased well-being. So even if you or your older relatives are not the touchy-feely types, at the very least weave a friendly hug into your greetings and farewells.

10. Give Extra Support to Seniors Who Have Recently Lost a Spouse

Older adults may be at highest risk for becoming socially isolated during the period after a spouse has passed away. When you’ve shared your life with a beloved spouse and companion for decades, it can be like losing the foundation of your existence when that person dies. For this reason, it’s important to provide extra emotional and social support to recent widows and widowers while they are grieving. Do more than bring flowers; go the extra mile and spend more time with the senior in the days and weeks following his or her loss. This can make all the difference for the bereaved senior’s well-being, and it helps to encourage a healthy grieving process rather than a spiral into prolonged depression and isolation.