Health Risks Posed By Senior Isolation

Living an anti-social lifestyle during your older years might seem like a simple thing to do, but it comes with its share of consequences. Most often, growing old makes us cut off our contacts for reasons such as retirement, death of friends and family or the lack of mobility. However, the effects of senior isolation have proven to be detrimental to their physical as well as mental health.

Isolated seniors have greater risks of heart disease, a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, and even cognitive impairment. Our brain is always changing and as we get older, it stands the chance of cognitive decline. At this point, we need to keep ourselves socially engaged to exercise our cognitive skills. A fall in our social interactions can affect the way our brains deal with our cognitive skills such as memory and language. This can help minimise the effects of ageing on the functions of the brain and delay the onset of dementia. While cognitive decline is a huge health risk that can affect cognitive functions such as mobility and memory, 

Senior isolation is another major concern when it comes to the elderly. Depression is a common situation among the elderly these days. Feelings of loneliness may cause seniors to pick up unhealthy behaviour such as smoking, consuming alcohol and unhealthy eating habits to help them cope. The worst part is that if seniors are reluctant to mingle at their age, it will not be easy to know what they are truly going through. There also exists the increasing risk of mortality that living alone or having a smaller network can have. In the case of any symptoms of an illness developing, without a network of people around it becomes difficult to prompt immediate attention. As people age, they will need to have people around them to keep a check on them and ensure that all is good with their health.

It is important to understand that while senior isolation is common, it must be done away with to avoid complications. It should not be taken lightly as their effects could be more severe than expected. Living alone is a major risk factor for social isolation and its effects. For this reason, many seniors move into senior living societies for a more safer and comfortable living experience.

Primus is a senior living society that offers excellent healthcare and support services for the residents. We host a calendar of activities to engage, entertain and educate seniors. The activities and events we host are curated to ensure that our guests are given the utmost care and comfort without leaving out the element of fun. For more information https://www.primuslife.in/