Here's a lifesaving health tip: Add "spend time with family and friends" to your to-do list. Research shows that social detachment — having few close relationships — is as bad for you as smoking and worse than obesity. Older adults can become isolated by life situations such as lack of transportation, landing this issue squarely on AARP Foundation's radar screen.
To learn more about solitary Americans, the foundation sent surveys last spring to select AARP Foundation Tax-Aide sites, focusing on the ones more likely to serve a less engaged population.* Ten percent of the 15,000 people who returned the two-page questionnaire reported they had trouble "staying connected" with family, friends and neighbors. Next steps for AARP Foundation: learning how to help repair and strengthen the broken links.
*Site selection was based primarily on U.S. Census data (percentage of people age 65-plus living alone, with disabilities, and percentage of those 60-plus living in rural areas). Findings are not generalizable to the general U.S. population nor to the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide taxpayer population.
Also of interest: 7 things to know about isolation.
