Loneliness Leads to Serious Health Risks for Seniors

In findings published recently from a UCSF study, researchers were surprised to find that even people who don’t live alone can be very lonely.

Many of us who provide counseling for residents in retirement homes find this to be true.  Individuals can be living surrounded by many other co-residents and still feel massively lonely.

This loneliness, the UCSF study found, can result in a significant 59 percent greater risk of physical decline. Even worse, the hazard risk for severe loneliness was found to lead to a 45 percent greater risk of death.

This points to the need for support for older adults in terms of understanding, empathy, attention, and genuine caring and engagement. Buddy systems for new residents of retirement communities is something often found to help introduce the new resident to potential new friends in their new homes.  

Most importantly now, though, is for health professionals and caring communities to first realize the severe impact of loneliness on the physical, cognitive and emotional health of their beloved elders.

For more information, click here to read the entire article on the UCSF study:

Loneliness linked to serious health problems, death among elderly