One issue that is often neglected in discussions about senior living is the sheer failure many seniors exhibit with their social life. More men than women come to a new senior community and fail to reach out aggressively to find and retain new friends. In fact, it is a critical problem in our retirement center when seniors come to retire in Florida or Arizona. They usually need to start all over with building their friendship base and professional contacts after they arrive here. This task seems so overwhelming for many new retirees; they simply give up and move back to their old hometown or withdraw into self-pity or social isolation. 149 It is also not uncommon for new widows in retirement to comment that their core of coupled friends …show more content…
It is becoming more common in our digital age when we shelter ourselves at our computer or move often to a different job, that sheer loneliness takes over. We are becoming a nation of strangers who are frequently out of touch with each other’s lives. Reports from several keen observers note that there is more social isolation, single living housing, and depressed adults who have fewer valued contacts with others. They lack, as well, friends and trusted colleagues in the work world or community where they live. Even seniors who have lost a spouse, never married, or are divorced, understand how hard it is to start to build a body of new single friends. Often the burden of loneliness takes …show more content…
As a result, too many of these adults, with limited mobility, simple retreat into their homes and maintain only a few contacts with the world they knew before their setback. Caregivers need to offer more assistance for the dependent adult and to devote more time to nursing care. Many people with limited physical ability, however, have learned to reach out to others in amazing ways. They do phone frequently and have engaged in lengthy phone connections; they can use the Internet for news and information, and then keep up-to-date with their companions by e-mail or Facebook; and some make physical contact with mobile devices and with the use of vans equipped with wheelchair access. Many courageous seniors with disabilities have refused to be isolated because they want to be fully involved with others. There are a number of ways many seniors fail to build a social network and its loss in their lives can have a great impact: The brief listing below is illustrative of some of the sad social deficiencies that are evident in the lives of many seniors. They have failed to succeed to find healthy social outlets for themselves, and the results of that loss is clearly evident in the two summary columns that