Reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) show that about 1/3rd of adults (45 years and older) experience loneliness and 1/4th of senior adults (65 years and older) are socially isolated. Loneliness in elders is increasingly reported and propelled into the limelight by geriatric experts to understand its ill effects and ways to fight it.
Emerging evidence state that psychological and sociological factors influence the ageing process. A positive impact is observed with sound mental health and active social interactions.
Feeling lonely invites undesirable effects like depression, anxiety, sadness, and physical health issues. It acts as a fertiliser that develops diseases or intensifies existing diseases.
Individuals who are lonely might also find it difficult to reach out for help. The stigma around the commonness of being lonely with age and elders’ pride issues may stop them from asking for help. Irrespective of the causes of loneliness, it is very easy to be left alone. Hence it is important to sort out ways to avoid loneliness in elders. Athulya’s home care nurse assistants apart from providing physical care, befriend the elders and provide emotional support.
Seeds of Loneliness
Reasons behind senior loneliness could be many and any of the following:
- Loss of a partner: When the oath of growing old together is halted by the death of a spouse, loneliness creeps in. The pain of not having someone to share thoughts with and partner their life stages makes elders isolate themselves.
- Retirement: Missing touch with colleagues, lack of a work routine, poor communication opportunities, and feeling less productive can seed loneliness in elders.
- Death of a family member/friend: Losing a member of the family or a beloved friend can bring-in sorrow and sadness to elders. With ageing, the willingness to talk and spend time with family members and friends grows more. Loneliness in bereavement can make them disconnect from the real world.
- Physical ailments: Evidence links loneliness with health conditions. Weakened immunity, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and obesity may carve the path to loneliness.
- Poor Mental Health: Having mental health problems like anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s, and cognitive decline can ignite feelings of loneliness in elders.
- Fear of burdening others: Seniors might sometimes feel like adding an extra load to their family or caretakers due to their inabilities. This might cause them to restrain from sharing thoughts or spending time with others and may start feeling lonely.
- Financial constraints: Studies have demonstrated an association between financial stress and loneliness. Changes in their financial strengths affect elders’ social contribution and may impart loneliness within them.
- Living alone: Solo living can make people feel lonely. Boredom, missing their friends and family, and poor socialisation are commonly experienced by seniors living alone.
Combating Loneliness
Strategies to reduce and prevent loneliness should be encouraged for elders. Here are a few tips to overcome loneliness,
- Find a Hobby: Tuning our brains to learn new things frequently helps keep the brain young and active. It gives the elderly a sense of purpose and productivity.
- Physical activity: Keeping oneself active by performing exercises of choice can help turn down depression and anxiety, and turns up self-esteem and energy levels. Yoga for seniors is a great way to fight loneliness as it is low in intensity and sets the scene for socialisation. Exercise also helps in the production of feel-good hormones (endorphins), thereby helping with loneliness.
- Join Clubs: Being part of walking, singing, book reading, drama, bingo, chess clubs, and more is a way to socialise with others and step away from loneliness. Partaking in community activities and joining faith groups are also great options.
- Spiritual engagement: Engaging in spiritual activities often evokes a feeling of hope and reduces stress. Spiritual practices like reading scriptures, praying, and journaling help cope with life events.
- Plan your Day: Filling in your day’s schedule will make you look forward to the day to complete tasks. Taking a walk, buying groceries, reading a book, watering plants, watching a movie, or going to the library can be part of the plan to keep oneself engaged.
- Volunteering: Giving back one’s life lessons to the community is a nice way to stay engaged. Simple activities like teaching children or communal gardening can be taken up by mobile elders.
- Creativity Nudge: Trying out new things or learning new stuff helps to nudge one’s creativity and combat loneliness.
- Tech-Relations: Learning new technologies and adapting to the changing world makes living easier. Connecting with friends and families far away on video or audio calls often is a great deal for elders’ mental health.
- Fix your Sleep Cycle: Researchers state that low-quality sleep can affect one’s interest in socialisation and build-in loneliness. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, and following a sleep routine can be helpful.
- Being Mindful: Practising mindfulness exercises like meditation uplifts social interaction and feelings of positivity. Even simple breathworks help reduce stress and negative moods.
- Pet adoption: A furry friend can make you feel paw-some. Pets provide great companionship and a sense of satisfaction to elders who feel lonely.
Being lonely amidst the highly populated planet is an irony to human life. At Athulya Home Care, our experts engage and showcase interest towards seniors’ feelings. We ensure to keep their mental well-being in check. Athulya’s professionals endeavour to provide the best companionship to all elders and help them combat loneliness. To discover more information, visit our website Athulya Home Healthcare.
