It is that work ends, friends move away or disappear, the cohabiting group is reduced and, as a consequence, the majority of the elderly live alone and/or have no or very little social network.
This issue has been considered by some governments as a public health problem since it has been shown that loneliness is associated with pathologies such as depression, stress, anxiety and lack of self-esteem. Likewise, there are vulnerable populations that simply have no one to turn to when they need help.
That is why in several countries the “Ministry of Loneliness”.
The first was England, in 2018, where half of the 75-year-olds live alone, which is equivalent to about 2 million people. Then, in 2021, Japan followed, partly as a policy to prevent suicides among the elderly. For their part, Germany, France and Canada are close to establishing it.
The function of the Ministry of Loneliness is to evaluate the situation of the elderly and create support policies aimed at socializing them and assisting them through specific technological apps, home visits by young people and participation in various workshops.
In our country the Ministry of Loneliness does not yet exist, although it would be very interesting if it were created.
In the meantime, personally, there is much that each of us can do to prevent or overcome loneliness in our longevity.
The fundamental thing is to have groups to talk daily and to meet periodically, even if it is only to pass the time.
For that, I propose you to carry out one of the following four practices
First: Recover previous links
There are many people that we have met in our life, even with levels of friendship that, for various reasons, we have later abandoned and we no longer have them in our present.
For example, schoolmates or students, neighbors from other homes, parents from our children’s school, coworkers we have left, professional or academic colleagues, clients, suppliers or service providers that we no longer use. Also relatives that we stop seeing or who are far away.
So, a fundamental task will be to make lists of these people, search for them and reactivate those relationships, either personally or by recovering old groups. The web can help a lot in these tasks.
I know that sometimes it is difficult to talk again after years, but you can find an excuse to start communication: an anniversary, a birthday, a global event, etc.
Second: Join existing groups
There are many groups that older adults can join, be it games, hobbies, art, sports, music, dance, social, gastronomic, tourist, educational or academic, social aid or political. One way to start is to go to a conference, exhibition or take a course that links us to the chosen theme. Also, if you start or continue studies (undergraduate, postgraduate, languages, etc.) you are part of the student groups with the advantage of intergenerational dialogue.
Third: Create new groups
We can also, with friends and acquaintances, create groups that meet regularly, with or without an agreed theme. It can be for walking, eating or just having a coffee.
Fourth: Socialize with the environment
Finally, a basic way to overcome loneliness and be socialized is to have personal conversations and create links with our geographical environment.
This means stopping considering others as members of the landscape and treating everyone we see in our routine as people, taking an interest in their lives and sharing our thoughts with them: the neighbors, the doorman, the newsboy, the newsstand, the bus driver. , to the taxi driver, to the bartender, to the grocer, to the sweeper, to the policeman, to the one who sells fruit in the street, to the one who asks for alms in the corner of your house or to the person who helps you at home.
If we put these little tips into practice we can prevent or overcome loneliness.
As always, the key is to be aware that loneliness grows with age, we must get out of the “comfort zone”, where we are today, and take a first step towards a socialized and, therefore, happy longevity.
President of the Argentine Institute of Active Longevity “IADELA” (www.iadela.org) and author of the book “Good Practices for Seniors”, Ed. Galerna, Bs.As. 2023.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
