Loneliness and Isolation in Senior Citizens

There are a few times where the adult children leave their grandparents that took care of them to start a family but they're not aware of the major problem this may cause to them. What is this major problem all about and the risks it has? And how can this be prevented?

Social isolation is a term that defines a feeling of loneliness or isolation to the elderly. This is more common to females, rather than males when it comes to this matter. The older they are the lonelier they may feel which is a concerning factor for most people who notices this happening in their lives. This kind of change affects the elders mostly by the age of 75 and over.

There are also a few factors to consider social isolation. These are the following:

1. Senior isolation increases mortality in the elderly - adults aged 52 and up tend to have a higher risk of mortality due to social isolation. It is stated that people who lack social contacts or live alone may be at increased risk of death if they have started to show signs of social isolation.

2. The feeling of loneliness due to lack of contact may negatively affect their physical and mental health - regardless of the reason behind their social isolation— senior citizens that are suffering in this issue are more likely to report having poor physical and/or mental health.

3. Social isolation makes senior citizens even more prone to elder abuse - due to the rising uptake of socially isolated seniors, they are more prone to suffering in elder abuse— especially if they are in the nursing home care facilities.

4. Social isolation in senior citizens is linked to long-term illness - the illnesses and conditions such as chronic lung disease, arthritis, impaired mobility, and depression are associated and caused by social isolation. Moreover, this may also be the cause of the rise in mortality.

5. Loneliness in senior citizens can make them have a higher risk for depression - adults that are suffering in social isolation are associated with showing more depressive symptoms.

Because of this, there are a few reasons as to why the elderly suffer from social isolation. These are a few: - death of a spouse/loved ones - not being treated as the hub of the family - getting old and weak within their age group

And because of the reasons stated above, there are consequences to consider with social isolation. These are the following:

 - infrequent visits and/or contacts online to their relatives and friends
 - adult children living far away from them/not together with the elderly
- self-neglect
- not able to use social media like Facebook, Skype, Email, and the like.
- depression
- functional decline
- increased blood pressure by 30 points
- several medical conditions affecting them at a higher rate (such as hypertension, heart problems, and diabetes.
- immature monocytes weakening the immune system as much as possible.

Functional decline is measured using four different factors:
- ability to perform daily activities (such as dressing and bathing)
- ability to perform upper extremity tasks,
- ability to perform mobility (such as walking, climbing up the stairs and the like)

Senior citizens suffering through social isolation may feel withdrawn to interact with people. Thus they are reported to have higher difficulty in those 3 areas and have functional decline as a result. If this has been left unattended it may also cause early death to the elderly.

Families tend to notice the changes in the elders that are suffering from social isolation due to their close relationship with each other. Sometimes their friends notice this type of change in them because of this.

There are a handful of ways to fight against loneliness and social isolation before it may go out of hand. These are the following:

a. Make new friends - It is better if the elderly meet new people and get acquainted with it. Over time they may overcome their loneliness as they manage to make new friends, even if they don't seem to be living near to where they are.

b. Volunteer and help others out - Using the knowledge they have, the elderly can help the community out by helping in charities and assisting the younger generations on how the world works. This can also help them look back and be thankful for what they have done to help.

c. Get a pet - It shows that having a pet around reduces the chance of experiencing depression and social isolation, and increases the chance of senior citizens to be happier as pets love others unconditionally.

d. Take up a hobby - Having a hobby may keep them motivated, productive and busy. With hobbies they can set a few goals they have in mind to achieve those in their own time. This can also help them forget about the loneliness they feel and focus on the task to achieve within the time they have.

Social isolation is an entirely different issue all on its. However, it is not hard to stop. As long as the elderly have the support they need from their families and friends they would be able to overcome this problem that may arise in their lives.