Loneliness can creep into our lives at any moment. But it’s an especially common part of life for seniors, which is why one 90-year-old man wrote a list of ways people can cure loneliness.
Before we continue, fair warning: you’ll want to grab some tissues.
“I’d lost a partner, and my sister had passed away,” Derek Taylor told the BBC. “And the older you get, the less people seem to contact you. And I thought, ‘What can I do to stop being lonely?’”
Taylor, who lives in London, England, decided to put pen to paper and jot down some things that he could do to feel less isolated. His calls to action were so helpful that the Manchester City Council decided to publish them in a booklet for seniors as part of its Age-Friendly initiative.
Without further ado, here are Taylor’s tips:
1. Make an effort to make new friends.
2. Join a hobbies club.
3. Visit your local community or resource center and find out what’s on offer.
4. Learn to use a computer at your local library.
5. Seek help from your local social services.
6. Consider taking in a lodger or paying guest.
7. Use your telephone more often to contact people; don’t wait for people to contact you.
8. Contact friends and relatives you haven’t spoken to recently.
9. Make friends with your neighbors.
10. Do voluntary work if you are able to.
If seniors implement even just a few of Taylor’s suggestions, they’ll reduce their feelings of loneliness and likely live longer lives. Isolation and loneliness are social problems that have a wide range of impacts on people’s health — both mentally and physically; these issues include reduced mental performance and increased risk of heart disease. Research shows that older adults who felt lonely were 45 percent more likely to die than seniors who felt connected to others.
In addition to the physical and mental health benefits that come from Taylor’s advice, people who heed his wise words are also more likely to have more fun in the process. Even if we have to force ourselves off the couch and out of the house, the act of engaging with our community is still rewarding and enjoyable. And, according to Taylor, life-changing: “You feel as though you are alive again.”
