What’s More Dangerous than 14 Cigarettes?

Ever since the book of Genesis, mankind has known that it’s not good to be alone. It’s no wonder, then, that loneliness plays more of a role in illness and deaths of older adults than obesity and poverty.

Research shows us that loneliness is more lethal than smoking 14 cigarettes a day. At a time when health issues can be especially serious, the senior years can often be the loneliest time a person has known. That’s because:

• Retirement has ended associations with longtime colleagues

• Spouse, siblings and friends may have already passed

• Adult children have urgent needs in their own families

• Everyday routine doesn’t lend itself to human interaction

• Health problems prevent many former interests

• Mental negativity (“Nobody misses me…”) can magnify feelings of helplessness and even increase physical pain 

Add to this myriad health challenges and fears about the future common to aging, and you can see how the well-being of many seniors is at risk.

How to prevent loneliness, personally

1. Beware the risks of loneliness. People waste away without touch. People with lots of human interaction have much lower incidence of sickness. And emergencies can be avoided simply by having someone who cares about your well-being. (Flip side solution: whose well-being do you care about?)

2. Choose to be friendly. We could banish most loneliness if 50% of lonely people went on a friendliness challenge.

3. Learn to listen well. People love talking to someone who listens well.

4. Do one brave thing every day. Refuse to fall into a rut.

5. Go on a quest for people to invest in. Seek those who need your wisdom and care, even if it feels awkward. Look in places you regularly frequent, like the library, church, or the senior center, or even use conversations with young telemarketers as a way to spread kindness and hope. Just don’t say yes to any scams. (On second thought, maybe stick to the library :)

The Difference Between Loneliness and Isolation

Many people look forward to aging in their own homes till the end. But for concerned family members, the senior's need to remain at home often conflicts with the family's concern that loneliness may outweigh the advantages of aging in place.

It's important to remember that loneliness and isolation are NOT the same things. Many of us cherish privacy and aren’t wired for crowds. And regular folksy phone calls with longtime friends and family, whether those calls happen at home or in a residential facility, can work wonders.

Loneliness can happen even in a crowd.  

Cura’s Solution

At Cura for Care, we realize that a day out with friends is medicinal. And although our top-tier care professionals are excellent at providing conversation and interaction, we understand that chatting with a care provider is not the same as a day out with your third grade best friend who was in your wedding and made your granddaughter’s first birthday cake. 

Our solution is shared care. One of our favorite things to do is orchestrate a care schedule that two friends across town can enjoy at the same time.

Say Bill needs to go to the doctor on Thursday. Gene also needs to visit the grocery and he’s not getting around well these days. Both Bill and Gene would share the same Cura care partner, who would pick them both up, drive around and accompany them for the day—just like mom used to do when they were boys and wanted to hang out for the day.

Here's another story of a couple NEW friends who used Cura's Shared Care program...and how they became friends for the first (and second) time!