At Sagora Senior Living we are constantly creating new experiences to engage our residents and find exciting ways to showcase our amazing communities and how we truly embrace each moment we create together! While our residents enjoy many benefits from living in our communities, the connections and friendships that are formed are simply priceless. Making new friends can sometimes be a challenge, but our communities make it easy!
Regardless of age, one thing is certain – people are inherently social. At our core, we need to exist in a community atmosphere, not in isolation. This may seem obvious and self-evident, but a growing amount of research confirms the social aspect of human life. According to Dr. Craig Sawchuk, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic psychologist, “We are social animals by nature, so we tend to function better when we’re in a community setting and being around others.” Unfortunately, seniors are more likely to isolate or experience loneliness than the rest of the population. A study by the UCSF Division of Geriatrics found that 43% of seniors regularly experience loneliness.
As seniors get older, their risk of isolation increases. To prevent the negative effects of loneliness and isolation in seniors, it’s especially important for seniors (and their loved ones) to be proactive about staying engaged throughout the day.
The Health Hazards of Senior Isolation
Senior isolation affects nearly every aspect of their lives. On top of the effects on mood and mental health, isolation often leads to physical deterioration. In a study from the National Academy of Sciences, lonely and isolated seniors showed higher rates of poor physical and mental health. Additionally, individuals with limited social lives are more likely to suffer from the following health concerns:
- Hypertension
- Coronary artery disease
- Cardiac failure
- Obesity
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Alzheimer’s Disease (and other forms of dementia)
The Importance of Socialization in Seniors
Mental health has increasingly received attention in the past decades, especially as it relates to health overall. Seniors represent a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to mental health concerns. Depression has an especially serious impact on seniors with ongoing medical conditions and has been shown to worsen disability, increase the severity of chronic illness, raise mortality rates, and cause suffering for seniors and their families.
Fortunately, socialization has been shown to be one of the most effective ways for seniors to improve their mental health. According to the American Public Health Association, socialization improves mood, cognition, memory recall, and is associated with healthy behaviors, including exercise. Connecting with family and friends through technology, exercise, games like bingo and cards, and other activities has a profound effect on the mental health of seniors.
Promote Socialization in Seniors
As people get older, there is a natural tendency to get less active. Over time, seniors can settle into inactive routines and grow increasingly sedentary. For many seniors, it’s easier to watch TV alone than to go out with friends or enroll in an exercise program. Older adults need to be proactive about their activity levels, or their health will deteriorate.
Social Activities for Seniors
Seniors are the fastest-growing age demographic in America, as a result of increased longevity and better-quality healthcare. Fortunately, as more adults reach retirement age, there are an increasing amount of social activities available. From technology-focused connections to outings and happy hours, there are plenty of options for seniors to choose from.
Social activities that improve mental health for seniors include:
- Exercise classes and walking groups
- Happy hours and group outings
- Regular phone calls and video conferences with friends and family
- Bingo
- Card games
- Billiards, darts, and other parlor games
- Swimming and water aerobics classes
Benefits of Socialization
Socializing – and the meaningful connections it creates – has many more benefits than getting you out of the house or keeping your brain stimulated, though this benefit can’t be overstated. Experts have proven that socialization among older adults not only keeps the brain sharp, but it can even decrease the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to the cognitive health benefits, socialization provides important, life-enriching psychological benefits as well, such as:
- Improved Mental Health
Many aging adults are at risk of being isolated, which is one of the leading causes of depression among seniors. Isolation and loneliness can elicit feelings of despair or worthlessness. Socialization combats these depressive situations and allows people to feel loved and valued. The people we interact with and the activities we do in society affirm our sense of worth. When you spend time with others, you not only avoid isolation, but you also have plenty of opportunities to keep a healthy mental state and positive outlook.
- Sense of Belonging
Feeling like we belong somewhere is just as important during our senior years as it was during adolescence. It’s important to know that we have people to whom we can turn to share life’s ups and downs. Especially for those who may have lost a close friend or a spouse, the need to belong could feel more intense. Socializing with other people can help cultivate new friendships and lasting bonds as you participate in meaningful life events together.
- Increased Self-Esteem
It’s common for self-esteem to dwindle as we experience the difficulties of aging. We can feel embarrassed or frustrated with ourselves when we have trouble doing as much as we used to. However, the more we socialize and join in activities with other people, the more we benefit from feeling as though we still contribute to our communities. Positive interactions of any kind help us feel more confident in ourselves as we learn to recognize the important traits and talents that don’t disappear with age.
- Accountability
We all need others to hold us accountable at some point in our lives. For aging adults, their social circles can act as accountability partners to ensure they continue to take care of themselves. If we keep to ourselves, it’s easy to slip into bad habits of declining self-care. Socializing, on the other hand, gives us reasons to keep up with self-care and prioritize our personal health.
- Purposeful Living
When we have somewhere to go, something important to do and people to see, it helps us feel like our lives have purpose. A robust social life can help us get up in the morning with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead. The strong connections we have with others create meaning in our lives, giving us a greater sense of fulfillment just by being close to each other. Spending quality time with those we care about reminds us that life is worthwhile.
There are huge benefits of socialization for seniors, and a healthy social life is both necessary and obtainable for every older adult in our lives. Best of all, senior living communities offer everyone peace of mind. Older adults can benefit from the active social life they enjoy, physically, spiritually, and mentally, while allowing family and friends to rest easy knowing their loved ones have a safe, happy environment to call home.
At Sagora Senior Living communities across the country, residents have the ability to interact with others their age, family members, team members, specialists, and volunteers. They take part in lifestyle programs that are designed to keep them active – events like happy hours, holiday celebrations and outings to local museums. The diversity of events and interactions available to residents is key. The mind is like a muscle, it needs to be worked out, to be challenged, in order to maintain its strength and continue to grow. When there are constantly new people to meet and new activities to partake in, health outcomes are much better.
To learn more about the Sagora experience, tour your local community today! We are proud to play a vital role in helping seniors live longer and the best life possible. With 62 communities in 12 different states, Sagora Senior Living offers seniors the chance to live in active, social communities where they can thrive on a daily basis.
To find out more, tour your local Sagora Senior Living community!