By Lisa Stern

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”

– John Lennon

While John Lennon’s life was tragically cut short at a young age, he had lived long enough to understand the importance of community and a positive outlook on our health and life.

Loneliness and social isolation have become serious health concerns.

• Nearly half of U.S. adults report that they sometimes or always feel alone.
• 35% of older adults report being socially isolated.

According to a new study, the physical effects of social isolation and loneliness are equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Other health concerns include depression, cognitive decline, and compromised cardiovascular and immune functions.

The message is clear — no matter our age, we need the company of others for optimal physical and mental health.

Earlier in life, we formed relationships more easily, meeting people at work, in the neighborhood, and through our children. Over the years, friend and family networks start to fray.  People move, change jobs, retire. Our children chart their own path. We lose people dear to us.

While change is inevitable, loneliness is not. Whatever your personality and activity level, there are many opportunities and tools that connect seniors to family, friends and new acquaintances.

Family & Children’s Association’s Senior Division assists Nassau County older adults with an overall wellness approach to help cope with and mitigate social isolation. These activities and opportunities have applications across the entire senior community.

To help foster companionship, we first encourage healthy eating habits and appropriate physical activity.

Sharing a meal or exercising with a neighbor or friend is a great way to meet both of these goals.  There are meal programs for people who find cooking or shopping physically difficult. Everything else feels a bit easier when you feel the best you can. It’s also important to treat technology as a friend, not a foe.

While technology can be intimidating, it can also be a life changer, particularly if your mobility is limited. It allows you to connect virtually with families, friends, and other means of support and community.

Where can I get technology training?

FCA’s Smart Van visits libraries and community centers across Nassau County to familiarize patrons with the basics of technology and help them get started. Training includes instruction on internet safety and recognizing scammers.

Many local libraries also provide basic computer classes that open the doorway to audiobooks, movies, podcasts, and other digitally delivered materials that can be accessed from your home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Your library is also a wonderful resource for in-person and virtual meetings.

Learning to manage technology can also be a lifesaver.

In one instance, FCA taught an 80-year-old client to use her cell phone, helping her to connect with a friend in Nevada. During one such call, the client sensed that her friend was ill. Feeling empowered and tech-savvy, she called 911 and convinced the dispatcher to give her a 911 number specific to Nevada. Her friend quickly received lifesaving emergency medical treatment. While a cross-country emergency call is not the norm, being able to use a cell phone with confidence can help in a crisis closer to home.

Resources

Through a grant from the NYS and Nassau County Office for the Aging, FCA has also been able to provide certain clients with a voice-operated, artificial intelligence care companion, ElliQ.

ElliQ provides easy to use companionship, health and wellness support, and entertainment options that help seniors remain independent and safer in their homes. It learns the user’s routine and provides medication and other reminders. ElliQ is widely available to the general public as a subscription service.

Dorot’s University Without Walls is an online program that provides a wide variety of virtual classes, including exercise, art, music, instruction, and support. A mobile device or computer can connect the user to classes via an internet link and alerts users when a class is about to begin.

FCA’s Friendly Visiting Program and AmeriCorps Senior Community Assistance Program connect volunteers with homebound seniors who could benefit from a visit. The goal of the program is to reduce social isolation and loneliness and to engage senior volunteers in their community.

Volunteers provide companionship, respite, technology education and chore services in the home or an outside meeting place. While this is largely a volunteer program, certain eligible volunteers may earn a stipend through the AmeriCorps Senior Demonstration Program that funds the initiative.

Volunteering is an excellent way to meet people, provide structure and purpose and connect people with individuals and communities.  Whether you want to help people in need or work on behalf of a cause, there’s a volunteering job for you.

What you choose to do is up to you.  Overall, it’s about staying connected.

Lisa R. Stern is the assistant vice president of senior and Adult Services at the Family & Children’s Association in Garden City.