Loneliness Affects Health in Elders
In a study of 1,600 seniors, researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) found that people who reported being lonely were more likely to suffer a decline in health or die over a six-year period than those who were content with their social lives.
Loneliness didn’t necessarily mean being alone – almost two-thirds of seniors who reported feeling lonely were married or living with a partner. Researchers defined loneliness as feeling left out or isolated or lacking companionship.
While not a new issue the UCSF study is among the largest to look at loneliness, as opposed to general depression.
- About 43 percent of the adults reported feeling lonely at least some of the time.
åÊ - Of those seniors, 23 percent died over the six-year study, compared to 14 percent of the participants who weren’t lonely – a 45 percent increase.
- The lonely seniors had a 59 percent greater risk of suffering a decline in function.
Many studies have shown that having a broad social network contributes to a quality of life as you age. What fascinates me is the finding that two-thirds who reported feeling lonely were married or living with a partner. The San Franscisco Chronicle article in the ‘read more’ below notes that couples may drift apart as they get older. They don’t have the same shared interests. They may feel unable to connect with both their children and their grandchildren because of generational or lifestyle differences. And they don’t want to bother anyone.
I suggest that we take this study seriously and also own up to our responsibilities as sons and daughters. Especially if you live in the same place, there is no excuse for social isolation of mom and dad. We must create families of inclusion.
And while family is one foundational rock, there are other outlets in our communities that provide opportunities to develop meaningful relationships, whether it be senior centers or adult day care.
There is no reason for a senior to just drift away into loneliness, illness then death.
We need to encourage them too if they are reluctant to reach out for the resources available or find it hard to make friends.
New Study Shows Severity of Alzheimer’s Caregiving on Working Women
The Working Mother Research Institute surveyed nearly 2,500 women, including more than 1,200 who have cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, to get a clear picture of how the responsibility of caregiving affects their emotional, financial and work lives, as well as their families.
Women and Alzheimer’sDisease: The Caregiver’s Crisis was sponsored by GE and designed with input from the Alzheimer’s Association. It explores not only the burden of caring for a loved one with the disease, but also ways that employers, doctors and families can help caregivers lighten their loads ever so slightly.
They also talked to women who are not caregivers, to learn more about how well they understand the disease and to get a sense of their feelings about it.
Among the conclusions:
åáåÊåÊåÊ Employers canÛªt afford to overlook the issue of AlzheimerÛªs. As society ages and workers retire later, there will be ever more AlzheimerÛªs caregivers on the job, says Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute. ÛÏOur data shows 49 percent of workers expect to be caregivers within the next five years,Û she says.
åáåÊåÊåÊ Doctors need to be more proactive. Despite womenÛªs higher risk for the disease, doctors arenÛªt regularly discussing AlzheimerÛªs or aging at checkups. More than three quarters of respondents say their physician hasnÛªt broached either topic.
åáåÊåÊåÊ A substantial number of women are stuck in a caregiving role. Although 30 percent want to provide care themselves, even moreÛÓ39 percentÛÓappear to be trapped (no other family member can do it, it feels ÛÏexpected,Û or they canÛªt afford or donÛªt like the available facility care.)
åáåÊåÊåÊ Whether they are tending to someone by choice or by default, caregivers are struggling in every area of life. They are more likely than their predecessors to feel overwhelmed, to feel they donÛªt have a choice in taking on the role and to be experiencing a financial drain. As well, at a time when extra income is sorely needed, caregiving often places a womenÛªs career on holdÛÓsheÛªs less likely to take a promotion and much more likely to make schedule adjustments (scaled-back hours, a leave of absence) that reduce her chances for immediate advancement.
åáåÊåÊåÊ Within the caregiving group, minorities are struggling the most. They spend more on caregiving overall and are twice as likely as white caregivers to spend more than $10,000 per year. They also have fewer hours of help at home, despite being nearly twice as likely to be caring for a patient in the late/severe stage of the disease.
åÊ
åáåÊåÊåÊ Caregiver health is a major issue, given that these women often take better care of the loved one with AlzheimerÛªs than themselves. The AlzheimerÛªs Association estimates that caregiver health problems cost the U.S. $8.7 billion each year.åÊ
A quick search of this blog will show the enormous amount of space devoted to caregiving issues. This is a societal problem that needs support from everyone, including those not affected by caregiving directly.åÊ
Gastric Bypass Surgery Can Lead to Alcohol Abuse (VIDEO)
[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/_vKcERvymbk”]
Just for Fun – Dissecting a Crash Test Dummy
Presented By: CarInsurance.org
Gastric Bypass Surgery Can Lead to Alcohol Abuse
Patients who had gastric bypass surgery faced double the risk for excessive drinking, according to a study released by in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Gastric bypass surgery shrinks the stomach’s size and attaches it to a lower portion of the intestine. That limits food intake and the body’s ability to absorb calories. Researchers believe it also changes how the body digests and metabolizes alcohol.
Researchers asked nearly 2,000 women and men who had various kinds of obesity surgery at 10 centers nationwide about their drinking habits one year before their operations, versus one and two years afterward. Most didn’t drink excessively before or after surgery, and increases in drinking didn’t occur until two years post-surgery.
Two years after the surgery, almost 11 percent, or 103 of 996 bypass patients, had drinking problems, a 50 percent increase from before surgery.
About 8 percent of U.S. adults abuse alcohol by drinking excessively. The study authors say their results suggest that an additional 2,000 people each year will develop drinking problems because of obesity surgery.
More than 200,000 stomach-reducing surgeries are performed each year.
The benefits of gastric bypass surgery include sometimes reducing diabetes and heart disease risks.
Patients should be screened for alcohol problems before and after surgery and told about the risks, said lead author Wendy King, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s graduate school of public health.
She noted that obese people are often socially isolated because of their weight, and that drinking often increases when patients have slimmed down and pursue a more active social life.
