retirement communities
Hogewey “Dementia Village” in Holland
With more and more individuals (and their loved ones) suffering from dementia in our rapidly aging population, it behooves us to come up with some creative and compassionate living alternatives that embrace them with respect, value, safety and opportunities to have fun.
The Dutch have created one such alternative pharmacom. What will we come up with here in the United States? And what will be affordable for the hordes of aging baby boomers who not only are getting old but also developing dementia? Time will tell! Meanwhile we can learn from other countries and cultures.
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