We sat on our swing on the deck. At mid-afternoon it looked like dusk. Our solar lights sprung to life and an eerie stillness descended. We wore our special glasses and watched with awe as the eclipse of 2024 slipped across the sky.
As awed as I was by the whole event, something else struck me as special.
The sense of community.
Over the fence, I could hear our neighbours in their backyard with their three kids. “Wow! Look at that!” came the voice of one of their sons, causing a smile to spread across my face. In the common area outside our fence, I could see other neighbours watching. After a long winter, it’s always fun to see everyone emerging from hibernation, but this special event brought us together in new ways.
Community. We benefit from it in ways we don’t understand, and the harm without it damages us. Even shy introverts like myself who find the world too “peopley” most days, need community. Our elders, who can be isolated by physical and mental difficulties, need community.
How does community benefit elders? What are the negative effects of isolation, and how can we overcome them? Let’s find some answers.
Isolation
During COVID, we discovered new information about isolation for all ages, but especially elders.
Information which gave us chills.
As I researched, I found more risks than I knew about. Loneliness and social isolation is toxic to our health, our cognition and our mood.
- Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.1
- Social isolation was associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia.1
- Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.1
- Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
- Loneliness among heart failure patients was associated with a nearly 4 times increased risk of death, 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and 57% increased risk of emergency department visits.1
I experienced what I used to call “gut wrenching loneliness” during the pandemic. I retired at the end of 2019. I wasn’t mentally ready, but the arthritis in my body was taking me to a point where I needed to rely on my team in physical ways. I knew it was time, but my mind and heart rebelled. I loved my job, and all the people and I hated to leave. To counteract this, I made plans. I would go back and volunteer one day a week when winter passed. I’d give some time at the church. Maybe join some kind of craft class.
Within a few months, everything shut down. I went from a job where I experienced fulfillment, camaraderie, and community, to nothing. I love my dog, but he doesn’t communicate well. I nearly drowned as I tried to find my way through the restrictions. I knew I wasn’t in a good place, but had no idea how to do anything about it.
In a post-pandemic world, we haven’t bounced back like you might think.
In the next weeks, we’ll look at ways to not only combat isolation and loneliness, but bring a sense of community to our elders.
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1 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663.