1 in 4 older Michiganders lack enough friends. That a health concern
Sara Scholl, left, hugs her friend Christine Springer as they greet each other before an exercise class at the Clinton Township Senior Center. Bridge photo by Emily Elconin.
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan)
Many have outlived their spouses, siblings and best friends. For others, physical disabilities keep them tethered at home 鈥 isolated from the social activities of the past.
One in three older Americans feel a lack of companionship 鈥渟ome of the time鈥 or 鈥渙ften,鈥 while 1 in 10 older Americans could not name one close friend, according to new research.
鈥淭hey didn’t think of even one person,鈥 said Sarah Patterson, a professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and a听 demographer working with the听National Poll on Healthy Aging, an ongoing survey of US adults aged 50 to 80 years.
Even among people who had friends, about 1 in 4 said they didn鈥檛 have enough friends, Patterson said.
Those are among the findings of two surveys by researchers at听the National Poll 鈥斕齮he first听based on questions about friendship;听the second听based on questions about loneliness and social isolation.
While loss of social connections and loneliness among seniors isn鈥檛 a new problem 鈥 a听2019 needs assessment听found 1 in 5 Michiganders wanted more social connections 鈥 the National Poll set out to size up the problem on a larger scale.
The findings, released last month, are a mixed bag of good and bad news:
- Nationally, 1 in 3 older adults felt a lack of companionship 鈥渟ome of the time鈥 or 鈥渙ften鈥 鈥 a rate that returns to the years before the pandemic,听which spiked social isolation to 41.4%, according to a听research letter听published Dec. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA.
- The feelings of loneliness, perhaps not surprisingly, were felt most often by those in poor physical or mental health, not working or on disability support.
- A听separate study听teased out responses from older adults in Michigan. Nearly 9 in 10 (88%) reported having at least one close friend and about 3 in 4 (76%) said they count on them for emotional support in both good and bad times. That the good news. On the flipside, that leaves more than 1 in 10 (12%) Michiganders without a close friend.
- And overall, nearly 1 in 4 (24%) Michiganders said they do not have enough close friends.
The reasons for social isolation and loneliness are many 鈥 the loss of loved ones, the inability to drive, physical disabilities, hearing problems that can make phone calls difficult. And then there the intangible 鈥 the feeling of losing control of one life as the body slows down, and life seems to pass with increasing speed.
Those feelings can surge for some听people after retirement 鈥 even if they weren鈥檛 particularly close to coworkers.
Known as 鈥渨eak ties,鈥 these relationships are nonetheless crucial, said U-M Patterson.
鈥淲e often don’t think about them, because they’re weak or, you know, not as strong as perhaps other relationships, but they do provide important connections for people,鈥 she said.
Moreover, work is essential to self-identity, she said: 鈥淲hat one of the first things people ask you: 鈥榃hat do you do?鈥欌
Loneliness and early death
Loneliness or isolation are more than fleeting discomfort. They are tied to greater risks of听heart disease,听depression听and听cognitive decline, according to the National Institutes on Aging.
And loneliness and isolation, among all ages, can be life-threatening at times.
Among all ages, people who reported being socially isolated had a 32% higher risk of dying early from any cause compared with those who were not socially isolated, according to a听2023 review听published in the journal Nature of 90 studies. Another听2023 study听鈥 this one published in the British Journal of Medicine, that reviewed the lives and deaths of 458,146 participants, found a 39% increase in risk of death among people who were never visited by friends or family.
But understanding those risks offers opportunity for change, said Kali Batchelor, a social worker at听Detroit Area Agency on Aging.
Programs that听connect older adults听to companions or听support caregivers听can help fight a sense of 鈥渄own and outness鈥 and offer 鈥渞easons to feel happy.鈥
And that, in turn, can improve health, Batchelor said: 鈥淲e can start with the small things.鈥
Caregiving can be isolating
Loneliness happens even when one isn鈥檛 alone. That especially true when one person is caring for another 鈥 a spouse, for example 鈥 with dementia, said Sara Scholl, 78, a retired psychiatrist.
鈥淭he worst kind of loneliness is when someone there, but not really there,鈥 she said.
Scholl began volunteering time at the Clinton Township Senior Center during COVID. She鈥檇 take calls from seniors who, especially during the lockdown days early in the pandemic, wanted someone to speak with.
She began 鈥減orch parties鈥 at her house, too 鈥 gatherings that eventually moved indoors and continue to this day. Everybody brings a dish, she said: ham roll-ups, five-layer dip and vegetable trays.
It more difficult to forge new connections later in life 鈥 tougher to break into other friendship circles and to find the energy, Scholl said.
She and her husband used to fly without hesitation to Colorado to see their son, she said.
鈥淚t never used to be a real effort,鈥 Scholl said, 鈥渂ut now we talk about it, and then we鈥檙e looking at each other and looking up at the ceiling. It seems exhausting,鈥 she said, chuckling.
Even a phone call to an old friend听can seem daunting at times.
But that hesitation begins a dangerous kind of inertia, she and others said.
鈥淭he day you say 鈥業鈥檒l skip the class today,鈥 or 鈥楳aybe I鈥檒l go church next week instead鈥 鈥 that the killer,鈥 Scholl said. 鈥淵ou just have to make yourself do it.鈥
This article is being republished through a syndication agreement with听Bridge Michigan. Bridge Michigan听is Michigan largest nonprofit news service and one of the nation leading and largest nonprofit civic news providers. Their coverage is nonpartisan, fact-based, and data-driven. Find them online at听.
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