Social interaction and connection is crucial for healthy and successful aging.
Social capital
Having willing helpers and social capital has a significant effect on successful aging of independent older adults, particularly with assistance on routine maintenance tasks.
Isolation
Loneliness and social isolation are tied to increased mortality. Individuals who are socially isolated have higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, high blood pressure, infectious illness and heightened inflammatory and metabolic responses to stress.
Physical and emotional connection
Physical contact provides biological benefits through the release of hormones and brain chemicals. Marriage and other relationships established through family, neighbors, and social groups provide a diversity of social ties leading to longer lifespans.
Importance of social connection
Rate of cognitive decline is 70 percent lower in older adults with frequent social contact vs. less social activity. Social relationships contribute to reduces stress and heart-related risks.
Take action
Visit the older individuals in your life.
Offer to help a neighbor with maintenance or chores around the house.
Connect with older loved ones in other parts of the country with video calls.
Sources:
Do Social Ties Affect Our Health?, Exploring the Biology of Relationships, National Institutes of Health, 2017
Social Isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women, Shankar, Demakakos & Wardle, 2013
How Social Connections Keep Seniors Healthy, Greater Good Magazine, 2014
Photo course: Unsplash, Vlad Sargu
Comments