Social ties have a positive impact on the formation and stability of the human personality. But this importance increases with age. A recent study reveals findings about social bonds and dementia. There is nothing like being in a warm family environment, due to the importance of family and social relations in general in human life. However, according to the latest statistics, social isolation has become widespread around the world.
According to a 2017 survey, cited by no Isolation, half a million people over the age of 60 in Britain spend every day alone, and in two-thirds of European countries more than one in ten people over 65 either have no friends or never meet them, reports Al-Rai daily.
In the United States, 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 suffer from social isolation, according to the US National Institute on Aging. Social isolation can affect people of all ages, but especially the elderly.
This was shown by researchers from the United States of America through a new study, the results of which were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), and reported by the Aponet magazine of the “Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations” (ABDA). It revealed that social isolation increases the risk of dementia among the elderly.
Of the 5,022 people who took part in the National Survey of Healthy Aging in the United States, nearly a quarter (1,172 or 23 percent) reported feeling lonely and socially isolated.
Combined with factors like age, gender, or other health problems, people who were socially isolated were 28 percent more likely to develop dementia over the next nine years than people who didn’t feel lonely.
Regarding the results of this study and its importance in improving human health at an advanced age, Professor Thomas K. M. Kodjo, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said: “The importance of social connections and their impact on human health increases in old age. Our study improves understanding of the harmful effects of social isolation on dementia risk over time. I hope this serves as a call for all of us to be aware and think better about the role of social connections in our cognitive health.”
Numerous previous studies dealt with the problem of loneliness and social isolation and its impact on human well-being and health. However, the Corona pandemic has deepened this problem and prompted research on it. The study authors believe that elucidating the mechanism by which social isolation promotes dementia could lead to new solutions for preventing and mitigating dementia in the future.
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