Effects Of Loneliness On Your Cognitive Health

There are three core theories’ that have been established in age related studies. There is the active theory which states that a person should remain active and social. There is the Continuation Theory and states that people who age successfully continue habits that lead to a happy life. Then there is the disengagement theory and this theory will be the focus of the paper. Disengagement theory is the idea that as people age it is expected for them to withdraw from society and take a more limited social role in life. I believe that this theory ties into dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease because it is expected that older adults retire and move away from the workforce and society. When we think of Alzheimer’s disease it generally is a person who is older in life and withdrawn from the people around them because they lack the ability to recall memories. Through this paper I will talk more about what disengagement theory is and how it was developed and how I believe that it applies to Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, I will talk about a method of therapy that is used to combat this social withdrawal seen in the disengagement theory as well as how it is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Loneliness has become an epidemic among young adults and spared out in elders’ everyday life where social isolation has become a cause of early death because we cannot cope alone.

The impact of loneliness on physical health can also be better understood by the study conducted by Uchino and colleagues (1996). They found that social individuals have lower blood pressure, better immunity and lower levels of stress hormones than the socially isolated people. In contrast another study described by Arthur 2006 demonstrated that it is not yet clear that group therapy or socialization can improve the secondary prevention of Coronary heart Disease. After considering all the studies and arguments by different authors it can be conclude that it is necessary to do more research on the impact of socialization on physical health of individuals.

Many of the elderly find themselves living in isolation. There are many reasons why the elderly will find themselves living alone and in isolation. Many times caregivers have difficulty intervening. Social isolation can have many effects on the health status of the elderly. When alone the mental, physical and even the nutritional status of the older person can be affected. Trying to get the person to accept that they are being isolated can be difficult. There are a few resources that can have a positive impact on the elderly. This paper discusses issues of isolation and the elderly.

Social life and family supports are key components in a person’s life. Family support and social engagement keeps the mind engaged and person dwells upon the emotional connection he/she develops. Elderly people who tend be more socially active in their old age are less likely to develop dementia as compared to those that isolate themselves (ref). Having family support is a key social part in an elderly’s life which not only gives them emotional support but also practical support. The family can look after the elderly and can

Another effect is loneliness is not a matter of external conditions but rather more of a psychological state, which can cause neuroticism, or anxiety with due time. For example, John Cacioppo, the director of the center for cognitive and social neuroscience at the University of Chicago, says the epidemic of loneliness is affecting the basic functions of human physiology. And in one experiment, Cacioppo confirmed “The greater the proportion of online interactions, the lonelier you are.”

Not only does it increase the risk for suicide, but he said it ties to hardening of the arteries, inflammation in the body, and problems with memory and learning. He also proved that loneliness results in an early death. He did an experiment with flies, and the ones that had contact with others lived longer than the ones that were isolated. This shows just how important communication with others is. Isolation isn’t just a problem in Of Mice and Men, but a big problem seen in older adults. A New York Time article showed a survey that Dr. Perissinotto did in 2012 about isolated older adults. He reported that 43% of 1,604 adults over 60 felt lonely, and the ones that admitted feeling lonely had significantly higher health issues, and even resulted in death the next 6

Many seniors feel increasingly lonely and disconnected. They may have lost a spouse, their friends and family might have moved away, or they may have another issue hampering their ability to interact socially. Sadly,

Life satisfaction is typically related to social relationships, which helps us to understand why relationships are essential for older adults' well-being (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Naturally, it would seem that most adults in their later lives would have more support from friends and family to rally around them and support them through the various challenges and stressors of late adulthood. However, Broderick and Blewitt (2015) acknowledge that it is normal for their social networks of friends and family is smaller in scope than in the past. It must be

Friendship is used for seniors who are unable to function without a support system that provides a structured environment with reality orientated programs designed to promote enjoyment of “normal” daily activities. The program maximizes remaining strengths, functional abilities and prevents isolation. The program also encourages and enables seniors to socialize with their peers.

Abandonment leads to isolation which usually causes loneliness. Being lonely is different from being alone. Loneliness can be described as a feeling of missing out or being left out. Loneliness can also be characterized as a form of depression, an absence of others and feeling incomplete. While aloneness, on the other hand, is being content with having nobody around because not only is it temporary, it is very possible that the individual wanted to be alone. Being lonely isn’t a choice but a side effect of being isolated and not having the option to reach out to others. Social interaction is a requirement all humans need to function; everyone craves companionship. Lizette Borreli states that people not only crave but need interaction with others:

Referring to a news article I read, researchers at the University of North Carolina found that the quantity and quality of one’s social relationships affect certain health measures at different points in their lives, for example, “adolescents who are socially isolated face the same risk for developing inflammation as those who don’t exercise” and “Older adults are more at risk for developing hypertension from social isolation than from diabetes” (Izadi, 2016, pg1). In the same article it explains four surveys that were performed on more than 14,000 participants at different stages of their lives to capture the essential qualities of their social lives followed by their physical well-being. They found that social relationships can not only prevent some of the effects caused by stress but they can also help with coping. According to the universal class website, studies have shown that “the more social relationships someone has, the greater the person's ability to fight the common cold” and “those with a strong social network have been shown twice as likely to survive after a heart attack than those lacking strong relationships” (The Benefits of Social Relationships, 2018). They found that being more socially connected is protective when it comes to our health, whereas being less socially connected is associated with risk factors when it comes to our health.

The ability to support the older people keep up social ties with the use of technical devices such as telephone is vital, and there is indication that older people may benefit from the use of internet as a befriending opportunity (Skingley, 2013). According to Age UK (2009), there is no evidence to effectiveness of services aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation among older people, but concludes that there is a need to focus on befriending services for older people, in particular the effectiveness of such services in terms of their impact on older people’s quality of life and their overall preventive value.

This study investigated the difference between emotional and social loneliness using structural equation modeling, evaluated whether a two-dimensional or unidimensional conception of loneliness provides a better fit to the data. Second, the extent to which positive and negative social exchanges are associated with older adults’ loneliness was examined. Third, they also investigated whether the structure and social-exchange correlates of loneliness differ for currently married versus formerly married older

There are many reasons to why elderly persons can fall at risk of social isolation and loneliness. These factors can range anywhere from