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Combating Loneliness in Seniors

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By Barbara Goll, Community Liaison Educator and Nutritionist

speaking with loved ones on the phoneLoneliness affects more than 42 million older Americans according to the American Psychological Association.  While living alone does not inevitably lead to loneliness, it can be a contributing factor.  Social contact typically decreases with age due to retirement, spouse and friends dying or moving away, lack of mobility and physical limitations.  When an entire peer group is experiencing these naturally occurring changes it is easy to see why there is a decline in the number and quality of relationships as we age.

Loneliness is a very personal experience.

Loneliness comes with different causes and implications for every individual. This makes addressing the problem complex.  Loneliness is a negative emotion defined by the quality and quantity of relationships that we have versus those we long to have.  It is based on an individual’s values, needs, wishes and feelings. Loneliness can create a persistent loop of negative thoughts and feelings that can wear us down and push others away.  “Loneliness is tricky because someone has to tell you their negative emotions,” says Kerstin Gerst Emerson from the Institute of Gerontology. “Diagnosis depends on asking questions, not a blood test or MRI.” It is a subjective feeling of social separation.  When one does not feel they have value, self-worth or a purpose to their lives, it can lead to loneliness and depression.   Loneliness can be defining and devastating to the lives of the elderly.

I realized the devastation of loneliness when my mother made a comment after a holiday family gathering stating that she felt alone and not a part of conversations.  She also felt that what she might have to say was not important and that the conversations she had with others were just small talk.  At the nursing home where I worked, I saw the pain on residents faces as they told me how lonely they were feeling, even though they were participating in a group activity at the time.  Loneliness is personal and these feelings are all valid.

Loneliness has a harmful impact on mental and physical health.

When loneliness becomes a lifestyle, research shows it can cause depression, risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, weakened immune system, anxiety and dementia.  These are not issues to be ignored. The Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience suggests that the connections with loneliness and health risks lie in harmful lifestyle choices such as eating poorly, inactivity and smoking.

What can be done to combat loneliness in seniors?

As family, caregivers and community members we can help our seniors become less lonely, more engaged. Here are some helpful suggestions:

  • Encourage seniors to express themselves while being a good listener. Ask them to tell you more about past interests and activities.  Try to rekindle and adapt past interests and hobbies to fit their current abilities.
  • Use information learned from inquiring conversations to create an individual plan to decrease loneliness. Be creative with ideas, things offered in your community, clubs, and groups.  Be prepared to nudge a little bit outside of their comfort zone.
  • Foster relationships between generations through visits and technology such as email and Facetime or Skype. Help grandchildren learn wisdom, childhood stories and family history from grandparents.  Have them show grandparents how to use their cell phone or computer more easily or help them correspond with friends and distant family.
  • Visit as often as possible and engage in meaningful conversation. Give your full attention and really listen and hear what they have to say. Take a walk, read, sing or listen to favorite songs or play a board game. If unable to visit often you can write, call or use technology.
  • Seek out and attend activities of interest with the senior, especially for the first few times. Local senior centers and Area Agency on Aging are a good place to start.
  • Let seniors teach you something. When a former art professor moved into the nursing home where I was working, I empowered him to teach a basic sketch class to the residents.  This brought worth and value to his life as well as the other residents lives who learned how to draw.  Older individuals love to pass on knowledge.
  • Take seniors out to restaurants, Sunday church service, a movie, to visit with a friend, shopping or a drive around the neighborhood or out into the country. Fresh air and a change of scenery can do wonders.
  • Help facilitate connections with old friends that may not be able to visit anymore through letters, in-person visits, or emails.
  • Encourage seniors to volunteer. Volunteering can be very rewarding and seniors have a lot of skills and wisdom to contribute to their community.  This is a great social connection and adds purpose, worth and fulfillment to their lives. Volunteer search sites include:  volunteermatch.org, rsvpcapreg.org and createthegood.aarp.org
  • Take a class such as exercise, computer or other educational topic of interest. Many community colleges offer free lifetime learning classes for seniors.  It is a great way to create new connections.
  • Community planners and local authorities must take action and create policy that places emphasis on healthy aging. Allow communities to support our older adults and the aging process as well as those living with dementia. Dementia Friendly America and Age Friendly Cities are initiatives that focus on communities working together to support our older Americans.

Reducing loneliness in all generations is derived from strong and loving relationships we have with others.  Let’s try to help our seniors create and preserve these relationships throughout their lives and show them how valuable they truly are.


Barbara Goll is a Community Education Liaison and Nutritionist for Homeland at Home. Her passion is educating and helping people attain a higher quality of life while aging in place. Goll is a valued member of Homeland’s community outreach team offering a variety of short talks on nutrition and age-related issues, including her “My Reflections” workshop to help you to think through many end-of-life care decisions. She has presented at 50 Plus Expo’s, civic organizations, community support groups, senior centers, aging forums and more. Homeland at Home offers Hospice, HomeHealth and HomeCare.

Home Care vs. Home Health

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hand holding a cutout shaped like a house with a heart in itFor aging and homebound individuals, home is the best place to remain as functional and independent as possible, with the highest degree of security, comfort and dignity.

When individuals hear the words home care and home health, some mistakenly think the two are synonymous, however, home care and home health are distinct types of care. Home care is non-medical assistance emphasizing companionship while home health is a physician-ordered plan of care provided at home.

Homeland at Home is proud to now offer both, providing the communities we serve with a continuum of high quality care.

Let’s explore the differences further.

Home Care

Susan Minarik, RN, Executive Director of Homeland Hospice, HomeHealth & HomeCare stated, “Home care is supportive care. Caregivers provide assistance with the activities of daily living, such as preparing meals, running errands, light housekeeping, medication reminders, assisting with bathing and dressing, and providing transportation to doctor appointments. The goal is to improve our client’s quality of life while ensuring safety in the home.”

Homeland HomeCare only employs Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who are managed by licensed nurses. With bonded and vested employees, we can ensure peace of mind and quality care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued a new regulation allowing home care aides to be trained to do additional tasks in the home setting. Minarik added, “The additional tasks taken on are a decision made by each agency. Homeland HomeCare is ahead of the game. As soon as we received word about this option we started educating our CNAs to become Direct Care Workers. They are trained on a per task/per visit basis.” Some of the additional care that can be provided include pic tube care, ostomy care, and medication administration.

Home care is typically paid by the individual receiving care.

Home Health

Home health is ordered by a physician, typically after a hospital stay, an onset of a new diagnosis or an exacerbation of an existing illness. Lora Bierce RN, WCC, COS-C, Director of Homeland HomeHealth explained, “Home health care is monitored and implemented by a team of medical professionals including nurses, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, social workers and CNAs. Services are normally covered by Medicare or the individual’s private insurance.”

Homeland HomeHealth’s staff has expertise in wound care, cardiac care, fall prevention and rehabilitation services.

Bierce added, “Home health is a multi-disciplinary plan of care. Each patient is different and receives a specialized plan of care that fits their needs.”

Two home health programs will be added to Homeland at Home by the end of summer – palliative care and telehealth.

“Palliative care is a specialized medical treatment for individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious illness. We will have dedicated staff members cross-trained in both palliative and hospice care. So, if the need to transition patients to hospice arises, the patient will be able to have the same caregivers they’ve already come to know and trust,” remarked Bierce.

In addition, Homeland HomeHealth will be the first agency in the region to offer state-of-the-art telehealth monitors to its patients. Bierce added, “We are excited as this new service has the ability to reduce re-hospitalization by more than 20%.”

The Homeland Difference

In an age when for-profit senior care chains dominate the market, Homeland – a 501(c) non-profit organization – remains steadfast with a keen focus on our local communities while delivering a compassionate, comprehensive array of professional services throughout the region.