As people, we can probably all agree that being around others is important to us. Some of us might be more or less extroverted or introverted than others, but that doesn’t change the fact that we still desire the company of others to some degree. Most of us have no problem with this. When we want to enjoy the company of others, we can go to a public place and hang out with people. For elderly individuals, this is not always so easy. Many senior citizens have difficulty getting around or are completely disabled and housebound. This can make social interaction very difficult or even impossible.
Research indicates that loneliness can be a huge health risk factor. This is especially true for those who suffer from cardiovascular disease. Having few social contacts remains a large factor when it comes to premature death and/or suffering from a stroke. A study that tracked close to half a million people over the course of about seven years found that loneliness was one of the leading risk factors for heart disease and the negative events that this can trigger. Other factors, such as ethnicity, depression, education, income, and lifestyle were also examined. Social isolation was said to represent a 39 percent increase in the likelihood of a first time stroke. For those that already had some sort of pre-existing cardiovascular issue, this number increased to 50 percent.
This wasn’t exactly a revolutionary finding as people have known for years that loneliness can have an adverse effect on health. This is one of the reasons why in-home care has become such a popular thing when it comes to senior care. It provides supervision and a deeper level of social interaction than many other types of senior care do. However, the extent to which loneliness hurts people hasn’t really been fully understood. For those that are already advocates of in-home care, it just reaffirms things that have long been understood.
What is new information from this study is the fact that those who already suffer from heart disease stand to benefit far more when it comes to improving their social lives. As a family member, this is something that you can help with, either by spending more time with your family member, hiring an in-home caregiver for them, or helping them to spend more time with their peers. These things are often difficult, but they can go a long way toward helping them live a higher quality of life. It’s not a surefire way to avoid health issues, but it might help your mom or dad to live a healthier life. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small thing that could pack a big punch.
It’s also worth mentioning that this is not a replacement for medical care. Someone with cardiovascular disease needs to keep up with their doctors’ appointments in order to ensure that things are not deteriorating and that the proper steps can be taken. Social interaction is something that should be used in conjunction with this.
Leave a Reply