Senior American citizens are finding solace in telephone support groups, such as those run by the Senior Center Without Walls in Oakland or Friendship Line in San Francisco. Tackling loneliness and isolation through organised group telephone calls, organizations are offering elderly Americans a way to connect as estimates put socially isolated adults at 5 in 1 over the age of 10 or roughly 8m people. Issues such as vision and hearing loss, as well as grief from losses such as spousal death, can be isolating. The impact of isolation and loneliness on health has been researched, with the results suggesting that lack of human connection is as dangerous as smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity or lack of exercise. Services directed specifically at older adults are useful for tackling isolation and elderly citizens’ reluctance to reach out to suicide or prevention hotlines for help or companionship.
Senior American citizens are finding solace in telephone support groups, such as those run by the Senior Center Without Walls in Oakland or Friendship Line in San Francisco. Tackling loneliness and isolation through organised group telephone calls, organizations are offering elderly Americans a way to connect as estimates put socially isolated adults at 1 in 5 over the age of 50 or roughly 8m people. Issues such as vision and hearing loss, as well as grief from losses such as spousal death, can be isolating. The impact of isolation and loneliness on health has been researched, with the results suggesting that lack of human connection is as dangerous as smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity or lack of exercise. Services directed specifically at older adults are useful for tackling isolation and elderly citizens’ reluctance to reach out to suicide or prevention hotlines for help or companionship.