Engaging Older Adults - 0 views
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MiamiOH OARS on 25 Mar 20The Administration on Aging (AoA), a division of the Administration for Community Living, working with a national network of state, tribal, and local agencies, is committed to ensuring that current and future older adults have the information, tools, and services they need to remain healthy and the support they need to remain independent and active for as long as possible. Recently much has been learned about the individual and societal impact of social isolation and loneliness. Based on current estimates, isolation is a social problem that impacts as many as 17% of older Americans.[i] A large body of literature indicates that social isolation and loneliness have negative impacts on health of older adults and is associated with an increased risk of dying. According to a report by the AARP Public Policy Institute and Stanford University, social isolation among people with Medicare is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending every year.[ii] That's comparable to additional program spending for people with chronic conditions like high blood pressure. Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions[iii]. In fact, a Brigham Young University study found that prolonged social isolation is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is more harmful than obesity.[iv]