Lonely Seniors Senior Citizens Do Not Have to be Lonely

A study involving older adults from senior residential facilities in the Chicago area suggests that isolated seniors may experience twice the risk of Alzheimer's disease compared with those who are not lonely or secluded ("Loneliness linked…" 8). Researchers at the University of California San Francisco analyzed data showing loneliness to be particularly debilitating to older adults and may predict serious health problems and even death. There are both psychological ramifications, such as depression, and physiological ramifications that can be addressed by looking at the problem of loneliness.

The elderly are susceptible to feelings of loneliness and isolation because of life changes that often occur at this stage of life. Individuals may have spent all their adult lives in the work place and be unable to deal with too much newfound leisure time. If they had children, their children are grown, with their own lives, jobs,...

Physical geography may separate seniors from loved ones. Illness and death among the peer group can also lead to loneliness.
Fortunately, in today's society, there are options available to seniors so they do not have to suffer. For example, recent widow Barbara Dane, an accomplished jazz singer for over seventy years, still continues to perform in the San Francisco area. She credits her passion for music and the resulting social life as the secret to her health and well-being at eighty-five (Kim).

Not all seniors have Dane's talent or access to big-city resources. However, most communities across the U.S., even small towns, have some type of senior center where people can go, free of charge, to enjoy various activities and make social connections. The Council on Aging in Gardner, Massachusetts, for example, serves a community of approximately 20,000 people. It offers a weekly breakfast with the city's mayor, and other regularly…