Seniors often struggle with social isolation and loneliness, more so than most other groups of people. They face multiple challenges in this area, such as decreased transport options, the loss of social contact from a job following retirement, and close friends either dying or becoming sick.
These challenges often mean that the senior struggles to go out and interact socially, as do their friends. This type of isolation can quickly promote loneliness, which may get progressively worse over time.
Thankfully, there are a variety of practices that can help. We’re examining some of the most powerful ones in this post.
You’re likely to find that some are more effective than others for a specific situation. This is partly because loneliness can have many different causes. Individuals also vary in what they are looking for from social connections.
Join a Class
Classes are a fantastic way to make connections, as they bring together people with similar interests. They also work well because they’re not entirely about socializing. Instead, people are going to the class to learn something or perhaps work on a skill.
Having a focus for the class is important. It helps to take some of the emphasis off social connection and reduces the risk of unreasonable expectations.
Look into Volunteering
Volunteering is powerful for multiple reasons.
The first is that it provides a sense of direction and purpose. This is extremely relevant to seniors. Many may experience a loss of such direction after retirement. There is also a type of joy that comes from helping others. Doing so can often make a person feel better in their own life.
The social side of volunteering is also very relevant. It can be easy to develop social connections in this context, as people are working together towards a common goal.
Make a New Friend (or Two)
While group classes and events have their advantages, they’re not always enough to combat loneliness.
One problem is that these activities tend to promote a large number of fairly superficial friendships. This is especially true for large groups that only meet once a week (or even less often). Such groups can even make people feel more lonely, rather than less.
In contrast, making one or two close friends can be very powerful.
A close friend can become someone to interact with often and go places with. This is important at any age and even more for seniors who may be losing some of their previous social connections.
Re-evaluate the Senior’s Living Situation
Living situation can have a large impact on isolation and loneliness. Seniors living on their own are especially vulnerable, as they may spend most of their day with little or no social interaction.
However, social interaction is only one part of the equation. The quality of the interaction is important too, as are the friendships formed. Expectations are another aspect. These patterns mean that some living changes may not be as beneficial as they first sound.
For example, as senior moving from living alone to living with their adult children may end up feeling more lonely and isolated, rather than less. This can happen for a variety of reasons:
- The senior may be expecting increased social connection and more time around family. In practice, family members might have little free time and be focused on their own needs.
- Moving from one living situation to another tends to be stressful and can be emotionally challenging. This may increase vulnerability to depression and loneliness.
- Most such moves will mean a loss of some previous social connections, along with a shift to an unfamiliar environment. Both issues can make it more difficult to build friendships and decrease loneliness.
- Moving in with family may decrease the senior’s independence or their sense of independence. That outcome can make it more difficult to be socially active.
Get Involved in Exercise
Exercise has multiple benefits for isolation. One of these is the way that it helps people to be more mobile. Mobility can make it easier to establish and maintain friendships.
Exercise also helps people to feel better. This can sometimes reduce the stress of isolation and perhaps even the sense of isolation itself.
There are also many exercise groups and classes. These can help to improve physical fitness and provide social connection at the same time.
Increase Transportation Options
A lack of transport makes it much more difficult to connect with other people. This is an area that many seniors struggle with, especially if they lose the ability to safely drive.
Find the Right Connections
Combating loneliness involves looking at both the quality and quantity of social connections. This also makes it important to find a good fit between the senior and what they are involved in.
For example, a senior may see few social benefits from a group activity if they do not enjoy it and do not want to go. It is much better to find something that the senior enjoys and actually looks forward to.
Finding such groups and activities can be a matter of trial and error. There is no simple solution and it may take time. While the process may be challenging for caregivers (and seniors), it is important to get this right. Good connections really can make a huge impact on a person’s life.
Adjust Expectations
One of the most interesting things about loneliness is that the emotion is not always directly connected to isolation. People can feel lonely when they have good social connections and they can feel content when have relatively few social connections.
This pattern is linked to expectations. In part, a person’s loneliness is linked to the difference between what they expect socially and what they have.
This makes it possible to change levels of loneliness, without necessarily changing social connections.
One way to do so is simply to be realistic.
Most seniors will not experience the same amount or intensity of social connection that they had in younger years. But, they do have opportunities that other age groups don’t.
- For example, there are many social groups that seniors can be involved in.
- Likewise, senior living communities provide the chance to be around people who are at the same stage of life.
Being realistic can allow people to increase their positive experiences, while minimizing their negative ones.
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