Social Isolation – A Growing Epidemic Among Seniors – Smilecast 91

Social Isolation – A Growing Epidemic Among Seniors

(reprinted from my HuffPost50 Blog)

According to the AARP, 51 percent of people over 75 live alone. Twenty-six percent face an increased risk of death due to subjective feeling of loneliness. More than 8 million adults age 50 and older are affected by isolation.

The problem of social isolation will become worse over time as the boomers grow older. This is a generation that has had fewer kids; many having no children. It is a generation that was adventurous and had no problem moving away from hometowns. It is a generation that married less often and gotten divorced more often. The safety net of family is less obvious for this generation as it was for their parents.