6 Ways to Prepare for Elderly Loneliness

Retiring gives us more alone time away from the prying eyes and chatty mouths of co-workers. However, more time alone can be a blessing or a curse—depending on what you do with it. That’s because isolation can lead to loneliness, especially when you start losing friends and family members. It gets worse if you are dealing with a terminal illness. Studies have shown that loneliness is associated with several mental and physical health conditions.

Regardless of ethnicity, adults who are often or always lonely are more likely to report poor physical and mental health compared to those who are less frequently lonely. It is not surprising that some Black families engage paid or unpaid (family members and friends) caregivers to take care of their aging parents.

A June 2024 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) said Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are less likely than white adults to report having robust local support network. Around 44% Black adults say they have a fair number of friends and family nearby who they can ask for support which is lower than 56% observed in white adults.

We urgently need to educate our community on the difference between isolation and loneliness, the signs of loneliness and how to mitigate its physical and mental impact on a slim budget. The ultimate goal is helping our aging communities to have healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Negative health impact of loneliness

Loneliness harms the body physically and mentally. When we experience loneliness, the body secretes excess stress hormones which increase blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and heart rate.

There is also an elevation of cholesterol levels which increases the individual’s susceptibility to heart diseases, cancer, and infections—but that is not all. Loneliness also contributes to weight gain since the individual may consume more unhealthy and salty foods, increase their alcohol, or become sedentary.

The situation is even more dire for aging Black adults who live alone without substantial retirement savings. This is because there is a higher rate of Black, aging adults isolated from the basic amenities, services, institutions, and healthcare that promote healthy living.

Look out for these signs of loneliness

According to the Center for Health Journalism report, a 2022 study shows that more than half of US households were childless in that year. The number of aging people living alone has also skyrocketed from just 13% in 1960 to around 28% in 2022 according to US Census data.

A 2022 study by the Mental Health Foundation found that one in three Black adults have experienced feelings of loneliness which was higher than one in four adults reported by the general population, a problem often linked to racism and social inequality. Here are three noticeable signs of loneliness, and you should watch out for them:

Mental and emotional changes: A feeling of isolation, hopelessness, helplessness, disconnection, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, depression, elevated stress, and low self-esteem
Physical behavioral changes: Having persistent low energy, sleep deprivation or difficulty in sleeping, poor diet choices, avoiding social gatherings, addiction to social media
Extreme negative emotional responses: Elevated levels of negative emotional responses to previously normal activities like fear, anger, panic, grief, and stress

Overcoming loneliness on a tight budget

There is still a culture of bottling emotions and dealing with emotional issues alone in Black communities. Black men especially have limited options when dealing with loneliness because vulnerability is often perceived as a weakness. Therefore, we frequently suppress these feelings which can be detrimental to overall health and wellbeing.

It is important to understand that loneliness is not the same as isolation. While isolation can lead to loneliness, some people can have people around them and still feel lonely while others may find happiness and creativity in being isolated.

Loneliness is much deeper—and so is the solution. Finding meaningful connections remains the best remedy to loneliness. As we grow older, it is important for us to find connection and build meaningful connections. These connections give us a sense of purpose. Here are tips for overcoming loneliness:

Engage in social activities: One way of beating loneliness is through engaging in social activities. It can be a birthday celebration, a movie night or an opera. Being part of a social activity you love can make a huge difference.
Adopt a pet: A pet is not only a loyal companion. Their presence can help you modify your lifestyle like taking them a walk or visiting an animal park where you can meet and bond with other pet owners.
Join a religious group: Spirituality plays important role in mental health, especially in Black communities where spirituality is taken seriously. Joining a prayer group or seeking pastoral guidance can work miracles in addition to helping you socialize and build meaningful connections of people who truly care.
Volunteer: Volunteering helps you to stay active, create meaningful connections based on camaraderie, and build a sense of purpose. Foster Grandparent Programs, Senior Corps, and Allpoint Hospice are a few volunteer organizations for aging adults you can join
Create new hobbies: Retirement can give you the opportunity to learn new skills you were not previously chanced to. The process of learning a new hobby like drawing, programming, writing, and so on keeps you mentally active which helps to drive loneliness feelings away
Travel: Traveling boosts physical activity and can help us to build meaningful connections. It mustn’t be an expensive cross-country trip. A visit to a neighboring city or state can suffice

While everyone—regardless of age—will experience loneliness at some point in their life, by all means, we must shake off the feeling as soon as they emerge. A starting point to fighting loneliness in our community is breaking the cycle of silence. We should all encourage our brothers, sisters, parents, and friends to speak up when this feeling creeps in and seek help when needed.

For more reading

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9768682