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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, negatively impacting 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.
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.
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.
Connecting with others improves our mental, physical, and social health and increases community cohesion. Connecting across generations enhances that effect by changing perceptions of aging.
Holding a negative attitude toward our own aging is a risk factor for cognitive disorders as we age.
Positive attitudes about aging reduce the risk of dementia.
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.
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.
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 empower people to connect, 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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