Impact of loneliness on the elderly people
Ivy Hwa who is currently interning with Elder Home Share as a marketing executive went along to a speech about social isolation and loneliness yesterday in Trinity. Below she shares her takeaways from the day.
Loneliness might be the biggest health issue raising our concern in Ireland.
People nowadays are living longer, and loneliness might be the next biggest public issue in Ireland.
Based on the research conducted by TILDA, nearly 1/3 of people in Ireland feel lonely some of the time and 7% of people often feel lonely. Furthermore, 8.6 % of people interviewed are reported as being the most isolated, which symbolizes that they scored lower on the quality of life metric.
In further research on the relationship between social isolation, loneliness and health, both Professor Richard Layte from Trinity College Dublin and Professor Rose Anne Kenny pointed out the direct correlation between loneliness and mortality. Professor Rose Anne Kenny suggested that people who have less social engagement and are more disconnected have a three times higher mortality rate than those who don’t. That is, people who feel lonely, die earlier. People are seeking intimacy and emotional support, in order to find a sense of belonging in their lives.
Whether we get enough social support and how depressed we do have an impact on our survival. Professor Richard Layte indicated that though getting older does not necessarily contribute to loneliness, loneliness does have a negative effect on health, and can make one more prone to disease. Also, intervention in dealing with loneliness and social isolation issues improves the cardiometabolic health of older people.
Professor Rose Anne Kenny recommends the pro-family policy, which can take all forms of family formation and work out solutions to provide support amongst strangers.
Elder Home Share is a practical and touching solution for combating isolation and loneliness as we age to find out more contact us today Elder Home Share its a win-win!
