Anticipating an epidemic among socially isolated older adults

By Dennis Archambault

“I want to be alone.”

– Greta Garbo

There’s really nothing new in the recent New York Times headline, “How Loneliness Affects Our Health,” except a reference in the body of the article (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html?_r=0) that it is a “growing epidemic.”

Social isolation is a problem for anyone. It affects one’s ability to thrive in incremental ways, sometimes impacting mental health and overall wellness. For older adults, isolation from social engagement — work, society, family — not only contributes to depression, but has a biochemical impact, “raising the levels of stress hormones and inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, dementia and even suicide attempts.”

It’s not that social isolation itself is the trigger for health issues. The article notes, “People can be socially isolated and not feel lonely; they simply prefer a more hermitic existing. Likewise, people can feel lonely even when surrounded by lots of people, especially if the relationships are not emotionally rewarding.”

We became acutely aware of this risk when the Griswold Building was converted from a HUD-underwritten low income senior apartment building to a market-rate apartment. One hundred and fifteen residents were evicted, most of them frail elderly. The trauma of the dislocation was profound. But the situation raised the question, how was the quality of the mental and physical health of these residents? Not being in a structured senior community, social isolation was likely to be profound. How do we address the well-being of this population as America ages. Virtual connectivity may help establishing linkages, but it doesn’t replace the mental and physical quality of real time human engagement.

While the researchers conclude that loneliness is not limited to the frail elderly, the disconnectedness of society is certain to increase and with it the challenge of maintaining the health of this population.

Dennis Archambault is vice president, Public Affairs, for Authority Health.