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Connecting generations changes lives and communities.
Someone dies from loneliness or social disconnectedness every 3 minutes.
The U.S. government estimates that 162,000 Americans die every year from loneliness and social isolation. That is greater than the number of Americans who die annually from lung cancer or stroke.
More than 60% of Americans report feeling lonely. That's more than 200 million people. And in Connecticut alone, that's 2.1 million people. Those same people lack the opportunity for meaningful social interactions on a regular basis.
Our communities have become segregated by age over the past 50 years, which has resulted in an increase in isolation and loneliness among older adults. And young adults are now feeling more lonely than older adults.
Isolation and loneliness have been identified as key social determinants of overall health; they negatively impact the mental and physical health of people of all ages.
Loneliness and social isolation are associated with a reduced lifespan of 15 years! That's equal to someone smoking 15 cigarettes/day - and greater than someone with obesity. Loneliness raises blood pressure and increases inflammation in the body, and is also linked to an increased risk of anxiety, depression, Type 2 diabetes, leukemia, heart disease, dementia, substance abuse, and suicide.
In addition, loneliness reduces student academic performance and employee engagement. And loneliness and isolation increase the risk of financial exploitation and fraud.
Social health is a vital human need for all of us.
Social health is the dimension of our health that comes from connection and community. We are social beings. We are meant to be together, to connect with one another in positive ways that offer comfort and a sense of belonging.
Harvard University's 90-year-study on happiness demonstrates that it is our relationships that determine how well - and how long - we live. Social health influences and interacts with our mental and physical health to determine our overall health.
Reuniting the generations improves the mental, physical, and social health of individuals and increases community cohesion. And it changes perceptions of aging.
Intergenerational connection changes everything.
Health & Well-being
Health & Well-being
Health & Well-being
Social isolation has negative health impacts comparable to the effect of smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Relationships and social interaction are the critical ingredients to our overall health as we age.
Cognitive health
Health & Well-being
Health & Well-being
Holding a negative attitude toward our own aging is a risk factor for cognitive disorders as we age. And loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 40%.
Positive attitudes about aging and being socially engaged reduce the risk of dementia in older adults.
Life expectancy
Health & Well-being
Healthcare spending
Internalizing the negative stereotype of aging to define oneself results in longevity deficits.
Older adults with positive perceptions of aging live 7.5 years longer.
Healthcare spending
Financial exploitation
Healthcare spending
Several indicators of social isolation and loneliness have been associated with poor health.
Medicare spends about $134 more each month for every lonely older adult than for every socially connected older adult. That adds up to an extra $6.7 billion of spending each year in the USA.
Community cohesion
Financial exploitation
Financial exploitation
Age segregation results in different ages seeing each other as rivals for community assets.
As age barriers disappear and ageism abates, residents unite around shared goals.
Financial exploitation
Financial exploitation
Financial exploitation
Lonely and isolated older adults are more likely to be victims of financial exploitation and fraud.
Socially connected older adults are less likely to be lured in by a fraudster, and have a trusted network to talk about proposals that don't seem legitimate.
How do we connect the generations?
We work with local experts and community leaders to identify, customize, and implement impactful, evidence-informed program(s) and/or event(s). In doing so, we welcome and value collaboration with other nonprofits operating locally. We engage members of local schools, youth groups, senior and community centers, and adult living communities both as volunteers and as program participants. And in every community where we work, we encourage our partners to establish a committee to keep the impact going for years to come.
Here are three ways that you can help.
We're just getting started!
If our mission resonates with you, we'd love to connect.
Please reach out to start a conversation about how we can work together to unite the generations, end loneliness and ageism, and improve health.
© 2024 | For All Ages, Inc., PO Box 61, Simsbury CT 06070 | A US 501(c)(3) public charity, Federal EIN 83-4624076.
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Your gift through June 22 creates 115% impact - giving vital intergenerational connection and social health education to more of our neighbors. Together, we soar!