Loneliness is a distressing experience which is experienced when an individual’s social relationships are less in both quality and quantity than how it is desired. Loneliness experience is subjective where a person can be alone with lonely feeling, and another individual can be with people and still feel lonely. Man psychologists consider loneliness as a stable character indicating lonely people have different set points for loneliness and loneliness feelings fluctuate in set points concerning living circumstances of the affected people. Lonely individuals feel empty, unwanted and alone due to being socially isolated. Although lonely people crave to have human contact, the state and condition of their minds make it difficult for them to create connections with other people.
People with prolonged loneliness experience depression, neuroticism, poor social support, and introversion. Lonely people have depression symptoms which are associated with social isolation which is associated with developing mood disorders. According to Cacioppo & Hawkley (2009), depression and loneliness coexist and loneliness is considered a vital sign of distress. Lonely people are mostly associated with lonely friends as loneliness is deemed to be contagious. Lonely people experience health problems especially catching a cold due to physical isolation as it causes a weak immune system.
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Loneliness negatively affects older adults in various ways. Loneliness affects blood pressure in elderly individuals as it is considered to increase blood pressure by 30 points especially in people in their fifties. Lonely people are required to do physical exercises and check on their diets to reduce cases of increase in blood pressure. Loneliness affects one’s immune system as it causes abnormalities in monocytes of the body which is a white blood cell which aids in defending the body against infections. This is because social isolation causes monocytes in the body to stay immature and instead of monocytes helping the body in fighting against infections, immature monocytes lower immunization in lonely people. Loneliness in the elderly is said to be deadly because it causes the development of feedback loop which strengthens negative feelings and thoughts in individuals. Isolation in older adults make them lose their memory and learning capacity; hence these people are prone to forgetting and poor decision-making abilities. Loneliness in older adults interferes and alters brain function and is known to cause Alzheimer disease. Older adults can fight this epidemic by staying socially interactive by associating with family and friends and engaging in family activities.
Lonely older adults should be provided with assistance to make them socially active as this will help in reducing the adverse effects associated with loneliness in the elderly. There are different ways people should use to help lonely and socially isolated older adults in the community to help them reap health benefits. People should start a conversation with older adults in their community to engage them and make them friendly. In older adults who have hearing and memory problems, one has to speak loud and clear to engage these people in a real conversation (Steptoe et al., 2013). People should provide practical help to elderly individuals who barely leave their houses. This can be done through helping in activities such as doing the shopping for them, accompanying them to hospitals, cooking, cleaning and sharing more time with them. This makes older adults feel engaged and valued in the community; thus they rarely experience loneliness as they become socially active in the society.
Helping older adults to become socially active is essential as it helps them reduce risks of developing mental problems such as Alzheimer disease and depression. This keeps their minds actively engage in activities and sharpens their minds reducing risk of cognitive reduction. Helping older adults to be socially active makes them improve their physical health thus reducing cases of blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and improves their nutrition and improves the immune system. Helping older adults to become socially active helps in developing a sense of belonging in these people as they feel more connected to the society and the world.
The person I interviewed stated that he was happy with his social life because he did not experience many negative emotions in his life and most of the adverse events he experienced did not adversely impact his lifestyle. Although, the individual stated that sometimes health problems affect his wellbeing, friends and family members keeps him company making him positively see life. The person indicated that he has a network of friends with whom he interacts with, and most of these friends are of his age mates and young people who visit him and help him with house chores. The person stated that he participated in social activities like participating in community social events to support young people in nurturing their talents, visiting sports and games where young people are practicing to motivate them, going to community committees and older adults programs. The person indicated that his grandchild helps him in going to the mentioned social activities and he usually informs him when the events are taking place. The person stated that he yearns to interact more with his friends and family members and have them live close to him daily to help him have close people.
References
Cacioppo, J. T., & Hawkley, L. C. (2009). Loneliness.
Steptoe, A., Shankar, A., Demakakos, P., & Wardle, J. (2013). Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(15), 5797-5801.
