Pictured Panelists: (l-r) Gloria Luong, Anna Von Dreele, Jason Morgan, & Jim Green
Jason Morgan, Executive Director with A Little Help of Fort Collins, presented Tough Talk, their new quarterly lecture series about compelling issues facing the elderly. Their first lecture included a panel of three specialists discussing “Fighting Isolation.” The panelists included Jim Green, a clinical supervisor with SRI, a psychotherapist who works with military personnel returning from combat and with isolated military families, Anna Von Dreele, a case manager with Columbine Health Systems helping many patients treating isolation, and Gloria Luong, PHD in psychology, and an assistant professor at CSU Dept. of Human services doing research on depression and isolation.
The three panelists each gave examples of how isolation affected them as a child or after graduating form college and how it impacted them in helping the elderly with this important issue.
Jim began with his personal example of isolation as a child that reminded him of a movie “Home Alone.” Today, he has a better understanding of isolation after working with military personnel and their families. His company, SRI focuses on analyzing and providing solutions for their patients. He encouraged the attendees at each table to discuss with each other on how they had an isolation problem and overcame the problem. Most of the attendees seemed to volunteer to overcome the isolation problem.
Ironically, many of his military patients have scary stories to relate about their past isolation issues. He related how isolation can affect your health if not treated right away! In previous decades, people facing isolationism didn’t have Facebook, TV, computers, Internet, families to overcome this problem. However, this problem affects seniors more often than younger ager groups.
In today’s world, military families have the advantage of using Skype or similar online video service in keeping in touch with each other, thus eliminating loneliness and depression while serving overseas. Even for divorced families, isolation affects children from separated parents.
Anna indicated she remembered playing the game Battleship as a child with friends and family in overcoming isolation. She works with seniors on a daily basis either at Columbine’s retirement villages or their customers at home in fighting isolation, depression, and loneliness. Their goal is connecting their customers with the required medical resources.
Per a recent Time magazine on Mental Health mentioned by Von Dreele, loneliness is an emerging public health crisis for many people and they don’t realize the severity of its effects on a person’s mental and physical health. About 57% of adults face some form of loneliness per a 2015 study completed by the University of Georgia. She also related that this can cause major health problems including anxiety, hypertension, depression, and cardiovascular related diseases. Another study by Brigham Young University in Utah indicates loneliness is associated with a 26% increase in mortality risk.
Von Dreele explained overcoming these problems can be treated by joining a group such a Silver Sneakers for exercising, a service club like Aspen Club for networking and learning new things, joining the Osher Lifelong Institute for continuing education, a book club, or even volunteering for various groups. If home bound, she recommended using Meals on Wheels or similar service to check on you daily, having a pet helps overcome isolationism and depression, or join a church or senior center for doing extra activities at those organizations.
Gloria indicated how solitude, spending time alone and recharging your batteries is quite different from loneliness, a lack of interaction with others. Social relationships can be a double edged sword especially in marriages or with friends, where one day you are both happy and the next, you have arguments, thus causing some grief on both sides.
Luong pointed out that as you grow older, your circle of family and friends begins to dwindle. You have your family always, you have your close friends, and your distant friends. From past experience, your circle of distant friends begins to get smaller as you become elderly.
She indicated between 19 to 29% of older adults feel lonely. Older adults over 65 spending more time alone also engage in less healthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking. She recommends more social interaction with support groups and volunteering for different groups that fit your lifestyle. Return in April to see the next Tough Talk Series lecture in 50 Plus.