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Life can change dramatically as we age, depending on how much we stay connected with others. Connections can occur at the office, where we regularly interact with co-workers, and between spouses, neighbors, friends and relatives while raising families and engaging in recreational and leisure time. However, as retirement looms and everyday work connections are lost, replacing these interactions with new ones is important.
Hermes Florez, M.D., PhD, who has degrees in geriatrics, endocrinology, and epidemiology and came to Charleston via Miami, is currently the director of The Center for Healthy Aging at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
He points out that staying connected is paramount to good health. “I came here at the beginning of the pandemic to lead the public health program, and it became abundantly clear as time went on that COVID-19 had isolated people and caused severe emotional distress to many, particularly those who were suddenly home alone,” explained Dr. Florez.
“There was no question that the initial lockdown situation exacerbated depression and anxiety. But there was a silver lining to all of this. People learned to connect through Zoom, Facebook, and other networks.
Those who didn’t understand technology previously were forced to learn, and that was a good thing because those skills were the tools needed to keep in touch long after the pandemic was over.” But, as Dr. Florez points out, now that the isolation of a pandemic is over, walking with friends outdoors while talking and engaging is far healthier, but it doesn’t mean that connecting on social networks and through the internet isn’t still relevant as an adjunct to in-person interactions.
And, he says, if you can connect with friends through an exercise-driven experience, whether walking or golfing, the endorphin release that comes with exercise affects our moods very positively. If you have retired or lost a spouse, making new friends is the key to avoiding loneliness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), loneliness is so pervasive that last November it was declared a global health threat, being responsible for depression, anxiety, suicide, and physical problems such as stroke, heart disease, and dementia.
As a result, the WHO Commission on Social Connection was launched to combat loneliness, which is described as feeling alone, even in the presence of others. U.S.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who is helping lead this commission, said the impact of loneliness on mortality is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Part of the mission of The Center for Healthy Aging at MUSC is to connect people to one another through community activities, whether it’s a biking event to support a charity or putting people together to learn a new sport, like pickleball.
The center understands that becoming engaged, whether through learning Tai Chi or taking a ballroom dancing class, is vitally important to mental and physical health. Trying new things and challenging yourself cognitively is an essential piece of the puzzle to combat the decline that often happens while getting older. "If you’ve retired, for example, you might want to embark on a new career," Dr.
Florez suggested. "I’m not necessarily advocating for getting another four-year degree, but there are new ways to serve in the community, which may take some training. That may mean taking a few classes, which can even be done online, but that’s important to feeling like a contributing member of one’s community and giving purpose to life.
" One of the problems facing those going into their senior years is that a slowed lifestyle is not on par with existing eating habits, and unless attention is paid to the consumption of calories when activities are reduced, the result is obesity - a leading problem for seniors over the age of 60 - especially when metabolism may be slowing down. Being obese often makes physical activity more challenging. A recent study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), analyzed 5,000 people and showed that both health and vitality improved considerably with weight loss, and not just among the morbidly obese.
Ironically, many of the newer GLP-1 receptor agonists that we’ve become familiar with for weight loss, like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, are not covered by Medicare, and that severely impacts the senior community. Until insurance companies see the cost/benefit ratio to engaging in preventive health by making these medications more accessible, or the drug companies lower prices in the U.S.
, healthy eating and exercise remain the recommended options for combating obesity. When it comes to staying connected, love is one thing that doesn’t change. We all need affection, and finding romance and a new relationship can happen at any age.
Research has shown that seniors with romantic partners live longer than their single counterparts. A recent anecdote from the director of an assisted care living facility in North Carolina noted that a romantic relationship had sprung up between a 90-year-old man, who had just entered the facility, and an 88-year-old woman who had been there just a couple of months. While this relationship surprised their adult children, the director said it’s not an uncommon occurrence at senior care centers.
Aging is a fact, but how we age often depends on our ability to adapt to the changes within our bodies and to changing circumstances. By staying engaged with others and involved in our communities, we can cultivate lasting relationships that sustain us through all stages of our lives. SIDEBAR HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR SOCIAL CONNECTIONS.
