Senior Isolation Today, Senior Citizens

Senior Isolation

Today, senior citizens typically live alone and often find themselves isolated from family and the community. Isolation may be caused by the death of a spouse or by the death of close friends and family members. Seniors may find themselves isolated due to divorce, or adult children and close family members may live too far away for regular contact. Senior citizens may feel isolated due to employment retirement or chronic illness may keep them from involvement in social activities. Isolation may lead to a variety of negative effects (Medical).

Isolation often leads to depression for senior citizens. In fact, depression in individuals 65 years of age and older is considered a major health problem, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (Medical). Depression in the elderly often goes undiagnosed because doctors and family assume that the senior has simply slowed down due to advancing age, thus many elderly citizens find themselves coping with symptoms of depression that may actually increase isolation because they have lost interest in normal activities and communications (Medical). Moreover, not only does depression generally lasts longer in senior adults, but it also doubles their risk of developing cardiac diseases and can increase the risk of death from illness, as well as reduce their rehabilitation (Medical).

According to recent research, elderly persons who lack companionship and emotional or social support are vulnerable to heart problems (Ham). The study found that for every unit increase in loneliness, there was a threefold increase among older adults in being diagnosed with at heart condition (Ham). Every unit increase in perceived emotional support indicated a 97% decrease, while every unit increase in perceived social support or companionship decreased the odds of having a heart condition by 91% (Ham). The health effects of social isolation are particularly significant among seniors because they are more vulnerable to disruptions in their personal relationships due to death or illness (Ham). Moreover, many are removed from their social networks by being institutionalized in nursing homes or other managed care facilities (Ham). The authors found that the companionship of just one person was enough to reduce the risk of heart disease, while social support with multiple individuals produced increased health effects (Ham).

Depression in elderly adults also increases the likelihood of suicide, in fact the suicide rates in persons 80 to 84 years of age are twice that of the general population (Medical). Studies suggest that social isolation is associated with attempted suicide and deliberate self-harm among seniors (Sullivan).

Moreover, isolated seniors are less likely to shop for groceries or to cook for themselves, thus they are more likely to skip meals or eat convenience foods and snacks that are high in fat and sodium which increases their risks for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease (Dooley). In fact, surveys indicate that more than 50% of senior citizens live and eat alone, increasing their risk for malnutrition and associated diseases (Dooley). This has led many communities across the country to establish meal programs for seniors to help ensure they receive proper nutrition and companionship (Dooley).

Another effect of senior isolation is alcohol and drug abuse. According to a recent study, the elderly are hospitalized more often due to alcohol-related problems than for heart attacks (Doup). Another study found some 70% of elderly adults' hospitalizations are related to alcohol, medication, or a mixture of both (Doup).

Many seniors live alone either due to divorce or the death of a spouse, and many more still are retired and have children out of state, and so do not drive as much or as far as before (Doup). This isolation leads many seniors to develop alcohol and drug problems late in life, at a time when they are most vulnerable to medical conditions (Doup). The elderly make up some 11% of the U.S. population, yet they take more than 35% of the drugs prescribed, such as blood pressure medication, sleep medication, and tranquilizers, all of which created a toxic cocktail when mixed with alcohol, causing everything from dizziness to death (Doup). One of the most significant physiologic consequences of alcohol use in seniors is the effect on the cardiovascular system, because anginal pain may be deadened and/or ignored, leading to myocardial infarction (Bosworth).