Loneliness with elderly

Collaborative post

A rising problem in our western society is that with the rising age of our population, the amount of loneliness is also rising. The elderly tend to lose their connections to society, for example, if they remain childless or if their children move across the country.

There are many ways in which we could attempt to combat these problems. Think of attempts by society, such as organising events where the elderly can connect with the people in their neighbourhood, but also think of initiatives by the elderly themselves. This can be done through dating apps such as 60dating.com for example.

Keeping connections

What is very important for us humans is to keep connections with other humans. As an adult, most humans settle down with someone to have kids and in that way, keep themselves involved in society. The kids go to school, meet other parents, have all kinds of relations because of work, and make friends in many ways. After all, if you meet more people, then the chances of you getting to know that person better will also increase. The more interactions you have, the greater the chance of staying in touch with someone. Therefore it is no surprise that when one has fewer interactions, which happens to most elderly, one will also make fewer connections.

Preventing this

This can, however, be prevented. First of all, it is something that can be taken care of by family. Stay in touch with that one lonely uncle who never married or lost all his family, for example, even if you live across the country, try to visit your parents as often as possible. In that way, you will make sure your family doesn’t feel like they have been forgotten, even if they live far away and are difficult to reach.

Own initiatives

But of course, this isn’t always an option. Perhaps you have no family left at all, or all your family has moved away so far from you that they can barely ever see you. Then it is important that you also take your initiative as someone of high age. Go try over 60s dating for example, and perhaps you will find yourself a new love to spend the last period of your life with. Or maybe you’ll simply make some new friends there. Go to events organised to bring people together, thinking of things like a church or a club to play card games.
Society can’t do everything for us, so we must reach out to ourselves sometimes. That is a very important aspect of combatting this issue. Those who are not seen anymore are those who tend to be forgotten and be alone, so they will have to reach out to get some help. In that way, one can try to keep connected to society, even if you have already lost all your connections. People in your neighbourhood are probably better willing than you would think they would be.