THE HEALTH DANGERS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS IN senior ADULTS

Loneliness can be as deadly as smoking or obesity, according to a study published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. Senior isolation may complicate existing conditions, encourage an unhealthy lifestyle, and affect cognition.

• The median age of the persons found helpless or dead was 73 years.
• 51% of these people were women.
• The frequency of such incidents increases sharply with age.
• The rate was 3 per 1000 per year among those 60 to 64 years of age.
• The rate increases to 27 per 1000 per year among those 85 years or older.
• The highest rate was among men 85 years and older who were living alone (123 per 1000 per year).
• In 23 percent of the cases, the person was found dead.
• An additional 5 percent died in the hospital.
• The total mortality was 28 percent.
• 62 percent of the patients found alive were admitted to the hospital.
• The average hospital stay was eight days.
• 52 percent of those admitted required intensive care.
• 62 percent of the survivors were unable to return to living independently.
• The total mortality was 67 percent for patients who were estimated to have been helpless for more than 72 hours.

• Men with Health Issues Living Alone
• Women with Health Issues Living Alone
• Veterans Living Alone
• Handicapped People Living Alone
• Children at Home Alone
• Children with Disabilities
• Dementia & Alzheimer Patients
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