The Threatening Health Risk: Loneliness In Aging Parents

Most of us know that feeling lonely isn’t good for anyone. For our aging parents, who have to endure repeated losses, loneliness can become an acute, daily feeling. Loss of abilities they once had, loss of spouses and friends, giving up driving and other factors may play a larger role in cognitive impairment than we once realized. We are learning from studies by the National Institutes on Aging, that there is a connection between loneliness and dementia.

What Is Loneliness And Why Be So Concerned?

Loneliness isn’t simply being alone—it’s the distressing feeling of having fewer or lower quality social connections than desired. This distinction is important: your parent might live alone without feeling isolated, or conversely, feel lonely despite being surrounded by people. Recent research from Florida State University analyzed data from over 600,000 participants and found that loneliness increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 14%, vascular dementia by 17%, and cognitive impairment by 12%. No one wants to see an increased risk of a disease everyone dreads—dementia of any kind. Families can play a significant role in helping, when possible, to reduce the risk the studies inform us about. I say “when possible”, as those stubborn and resistant aging loved ones may not go along with a family’s efforts, even while complaining about feeling lonely. But, we discuss what to look for and what to try to address the issue.