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UrduLoneliness and isolation among older Americans have mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates, but that still means more than one third of people age 50 to 80 feel lonely, and nearly as many feel isolated, a new national study shows.
Tag: Social Isolation
Growth from Adversity: How Older Adults Bounced Back from COVID-19 Pandemic
The study highlights the remarkable resilience of older adults (median age 86) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions to their routines led many to discover new hobbies like gardening and painting and explore virtual activities such as online yoga.
New research at Case Western Reserve University aims to address racial disparities in cognitive decline
According to new research at Case Western Reserve University, connecting with friends is key to limiting social isolation—something researchers believe could also reduce Alzheimer’s, dementia
Social isolation linked to reduced bone quality in males, mouse study finds
Social isolation may negatively impact bone health, suggests a study conducted in mice being presented Sunday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
On pandemic’s third anniversary, loneliness and isolation are down, but still high, among older adults
After three years of pandemic living, loneliness, isolation and lack of social contact have finally started to decline among older adults, a new poll shows.
New Studies Suggest Social Isolation Is a Risk Factor for Dementia in Older Adults, Point to Ways to Reduce Risk
In two studies using nationally representative data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study gathered on thousands of Americans, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health have significantly added to evidence that social isolation is a substantial risk factor for dementia in community-dwelling (noninstitutionalized) older adults, and identified technology as an effective way to intervene.
Social Isolation May Impact Brain Volume in Regions Linked to Higher Risk of Dementia
Social isolation is linked to lower brain volume in areas related to cognition and a higher risk of dementia, according to research published in the June 8, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found that social isolation was linked to a 26% increased risk of dementia, separately from risk factors like depression and loneliness.
HOW WILL HUMANS SURVIVE A GLOBAL CATASTROPHE?
One suggested way to save humankind in the event of a deadly pandemic or other extreme global catastrophe is establishing a safe refuge – on an island or in such far-out places as the moon or under water — where a portion of the human population can stay alive.
FSU College of Medicine studying effects of isolation, partner separation
Florida State University College of Medicine Professor Mohamed Kabbaj has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of acute social isolation and partner separation.
COVID-19 isn’t over. How do we navigate life now?
With spring in the air and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations far below where they were even a few weeks ago, a lot of Americans may have a sense that things are back to normal and the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.
But a panel of University of Michigan experts who spoke in a recent livestreamed event say that’s not quite the case.
Language isolation affects health of Mexican Americans
New research from the University of Georgia finds that older Mexican Americans who live in low English-speaking neighborhoods are at greater risk for poor health and even an early death.
Increased Physical Contact Does Not Infer Stronger Social Support, Data Indicates
While Americans try to get back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the country for more than a year, a new study found that unemployed, less educated and lower socioeconomic individuals don’t have the support of family and friends that they need to fully recover.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption is far from ‘one size fits all’
An ongoing analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol and related outcomes shows that COVID-related stressors experienced by study participants – including work-, financial-, and family-related stressors – are having a varied impact on individuals with and without alcohol use disorders (AUDs). These results will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which will be held virtually this year from the 19th – 23rd of June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 pandemic drinking: increases among women, Black adults, and people with children
Risky drinking has been a public health concern in the U.S. for decades, but the significant increase in retail alcohol sales following COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders in particular raised red flags for alcohol researchers. New research has assessed changes in alcohol drinking patterns from before to after the enactment of stay-at-home orders. These results and others will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which will be held virtually this year from the 19th – 23rd of June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maintaining Emotional Health and Wellbeing During COVID-19
A year after the pandemic outbreak a Rutgers mental health expert describes the signs of emotional distress and the steps to treat it
Loneliness in Parkinson’s disease may lead to worsening of symptoms
Research from UCLA scientists and colleagues from other institutions finds that people with Parkinson’s disease who lack meaningful social interactions may be at an increased risk for severe symptoms related to the disease.
UTEP and Community Partners Awarded $1.5M NSF Grant to Improve Quality of Life for Senior Citizens through Technology
A team of interdisciplinary researchers from The University of Texas at El Paso in collaboration with the City of El Paso and El Paso Community College recently was awarded nearly $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to develop and sustain the social connectedness of seniors to improve their quality of life through technology, community engagement and social sciences.
Huge Study Links Risky Drinking with Low Social Support and Area of Residence
People who report having low social support are substantially more likely to experience heavy drinking and binge drinking than those who feel more supported, a large European study suggests. The researchers also found strong evidence that risky drinking is associated with areas of residence. Although alcohol use is known to be linked to social, economic, and demographic factors, the research is incomplete; it is not clear to what extent some of these factors, especially environmental conditions, predict dangerous drinking. Investigators in Spain designed a study that was unusual in exploring both heavy drinking and binge drinking and both individual and contextual (environmental) factors. The study, in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, confirmed individual risk factors and highlighted certain environmental conditions that may help target interventions for those at risk.
Researchers Discover a Specific Brain Circuit Damaged by Social Isolation During Childhood
Study shows long-lasting effects and points the way to potential treatments
Tulane researchers studying rise in intimate partner violence amid COVID-19 pandemic
Tulane mental health experts say many of the strategies that are critical to ensuring public health are having a major impact on families experiencing intimate partner violence., also known as IPV.
FSU researchers find resilience, not loneliness, in nationwide study of pandemic response
Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has not led to an overall increase in loneliness among Americans.
That’s the takeaway from a comprehensive, nationwide study by Florida State University College of Medicine researchers who surveyed more than 2,000 people before and during the enactment of stay-at-home policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to Combat Loneliness in Older Adults During COVID-19
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, but also a second public health crisis: social isolation.
Robotic Cats Are ‘Purr-fect’ Companions for Seniors Isolated Due to COVID-19
Researchers provide the “purr-fect” solution to comfort and engage older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias (ADRD) during the pandemic – interactive robotic cats. Designed to respond to motion, touch and sound, these robotic pets offer an alternative to traditional pet therapy. Robotic pets are usually given to people with ADRD, but data has shown that using them to decrease social isolation for older adults is highly successful.
Social isolation linked to more severe COVID-19 outbreaks
Regions of Italy with higher family fragmentation and a high number of residential nursing homes experienced the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in people over age 80, according to a new study published May 21, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Giuseppe Liotta of the University of Rome, Italy, and colleagues.
How to Practice Self-Care During the Pandemic
A Rutgers expert discusses how to maintain self-care habits during the public health crisis
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Increased Online Gaming During COVID-19 Quarantine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: Cynthia Medina, [email protected], 848-445-1940 Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Increased Online Gaming During COVID-19 Quarantine How online gaming is combatting against effects of social isolation, overuse of social media New Brunswick, N.J. (Apr.…
Be proactive about mental health during COVID isolation, clinical psychologist says
Seeking out good news is a great way to keep mentally balanced during the long period of social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 battle, says a clinical psychologist who is an associate professor of psychology at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss the Emotional Toll of Social Distancing
As people continue to self-isolate in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are at higher risk for the more negative aspects of emotional isolation, which for many can result in confusion, anger, sadness and in more extreme cases symptoms…
Older adults need to stay in touch to avoid loneliness during social distancing
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S., social distancing is now the byword for prevention. But for older adults who may already be experiencing loneliness, further isolation could be bad for their health.
WashU Expert: Stuck in the house for a while? Here are some tips
As schools and entertainment venues close due to the coronavirus outbreak, many of us are seeing our social circles reduced quite significantly. An expert on social support at Washington University in St. Louis offers a few evidence-based suggestions for thriving during household isolation.“We don’t know for sure what the long-term health outcomes of widespread forced social isolation will be, but given what we know about the effects of social isolation and stress on physical and mental health, there is reason to be concerned,” said Tess Thompson, research assistant professor at the Brown School and author of a recent study on social isolation and health.
How to Take Care of Your Mental Health While Social Distancing
A Rutgers mental health expert discusses ways to stay engaged and healthy
Parents’ social isolation linked to their children’s health
Parents’ social isolation was linked to self-reported poorer health not only for themselves but also for their adolescent children, finds a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.“The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between parent and adolescent social isolation and health,” said Tess Thompson, research assistant professor.
Mount Sinai Researchers Find Social Isolation During Key Developmental Windows Drives Long-Term Disruptions in Social Behavior
MEDIA ADVISORY Nature Communications study UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL: Friday, February 21 at 5:00pm EST Mount Sinai Researchers find social isolation during key developmental windows drives long term changes to activity patterns of neurons involved in initiating social approach in an…
Avoiding Social Isolation in Older Adults Over the Holidays
The holidays are supposed to be a time for celebration and togetherness, but they can be tough on older adults who run a high risk of being socially isolated. Social isolation can be easily overlooked as a health concern even though it can have the same negative impact on an older adult’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Cedars-Sinai geriatricians Sonja Rosen, MD, and Allison Mays, MD, MAS, offer tips on combatting loneliness.
Violence linked to social isolation, hypervigilance and chronic health problems, new studies show
Exposure to violence can negatively impact a person’s physical and psychosocial health, according to two new studies published in the policy journal Health Affairs.