Feeling uncertain, I began to research loneliness and came across several alarming recent studies. Loneliness is not just making us sick, it is killing us. Loneliness is a serious health risk. Studies of elderly people and social isolation concluded that those without adequate social interaction were twice as likely to die prematurely.
The increased mortality risk is comparable to that from smoking. And loneliness is about twice as dangerous as obesity….Loneliness is breaking our hearts, but as a culture we rarely talk about it.
Loneliness has doubled: 40 percent of adults in two recent surveys said they were lonely, up from 20 percent in the 1980s.
The Episcopal Church and others support a number of retirement communities. I live at Deerfield, the Episcopal community, in Asheville, NC. We pay for our dinner each day, at noon or at 6 pm most days, lunch only Sundays, and the meal fellowship and other community activities help relieve loneliness. We will have the city candidates for mayor and city council visit Friday September 13 6:30 pm, and we have other activities several times a week. There are also fitness classes, art classes, a workshop, and opportunity to visit and volunteer at the Assisted Living and Nursing wings. I encourage those who read this to check out the community near you. Do it now to get on the waiting list. If you’d like to know more about Deerfield e-mail me at trightmy@juno.com.