Loneliness is a health crisis

packleader

packleader

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Silicon Valley county becomes first in U.S. to declare loneliness a health emergency

Loneliness is officially a health emergency in California's San Mateo County, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes part of Silicon Valley.

The county's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday that declared loneliness a public health crisis and pledged to explore measures that promote social connection in the community.

It’s the first county in the U.S. to make such a declaration.

The resolution doesn’t directly set aside funds for programs to reduce loneliness; rather, it signals the county's commitment to addressing the issue and validates residents' experiences, said David Canepa, the Board of Supervisors’ vice president, who introduced the legislation.

"What we're trying to do is to really get people out of the corners and say, 'Hey, look, there are a lot of people who are feeling like you. You're not alone. And moving forward, here are some of the things that we can do to support you,'" he said.

Canepa added that the measure was partly inspired by efforts in the U.K. and Japan, which have each appointed national ministers to address loneliness.

<skipping the rest of the article>

When I was a child, we had a radio but no TV, Internet, social media, and so on. I still remember that we came together with friends and neighbors all the time to play cards and for other activities. I think all the modern "conveniences" have isolated us. Of course, there are exceptions. With the iPhone, my scattered family is several times a day in touch with "gossiping." There is also the "Senior Forums." But they are a poor substitute for the social get-togethers as I remember it from my childhood.

=======

And a related issue:
Anxiety hits certain age groups harder than others. Here's how to spot the signs
Anxiety is a serious mental health condition that can have a significant impact on people's quality of life. In fact, severe anxiety can be debilitating, and it impacts up to 20% of people over 65.

PS, many cities have "Parks & Recreation Departments," and many of them have activities geared to seniors.

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packleader said:
Silicon Valley county becomes first in U.S. to declare loneliness a health emergency

Loneliness is officially a health emergency in California's San Mateo County, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes part of Silicon Valley.

The county's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday that declared loneliness a public health crisis and pledged to explore measures that promote social connection in the community.

It’s the first county in the U.S. to make such a declaration.

The resolution doesn’t directly set aside funds for programs to reduce loneliness; rather, it signals the county's commitment to addressing the issue and validates residents' experiences, said David Canepa, the Board of Supervisors’ vice president, who introduced the legislation.

"What we're trying to do is to really get people out of the corners and say, 'Hey, look, there are a lot of people who are feeling like you. You're not alone. And moving forward, here are some of the things that we can do to support you,'" he said.

Canepa added that the measure was partly inspired by efforts in the U.K. and Japan, which have each appointed national ministers to address loneliness.

<skipping the rest of the article>

When I was a child, we had a radio but no TV, Internet, social media, and so on. I still remember that we came together with friends and neighbors all the time to play cards and for other activities. I think all the modern "conveniences" have isolated us. Of course, there are exceptions. With the iPhone, my scattered family is several times a day in touch with "gossiping." There is also the "Senior Forums." But they are a poor substitute for the social get-togethers as I remember it from my childhood.
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The world, and the rise of technology, has led to a complete shift in how society thinks and works. For example, people want to have Social Media so they can keep in touch with friends and relatives, but in fact we're spending less time with them in real terms. We've shifted it to a cyber thing, a virtual world. Look at people in the street, walking with their heads stuck on the phone screen. Look at live shows and see how many are holding their phones aloft.

The thing is, people feel connected, even without the physical. I guess it scratches the itch to not feel alone. It's all done willingly though......
 
I think loneliness is a crisis everywhere-in part due to the things you mentioned, such as cellphones and even personal computers. And the fact that widows and widowers are often treated differently by their married friends, who have not experienced the loss of a spouse.

I do not give out my cell phone # to too many people. One reason is that I bought it for safety while I am driving, and to be able to call the phone company when my landline goes down- usually due to mice in a phone relay box.

Also I have friends who are controlled by their cell phones or allow others to control them with one. A woman I know called my landline many times one night when I was up to road visiting a friend.

When I called her back she said she definitely needed my cell phone number, saying ,that way even if I am visiting a neighbor or a friend in the village, she can always get ahold of me.

No she can't. I have never given it to her.

But I disagree as to what packleader said about "Senior Forums", which are often the only way many seniors, who can no longer drive due to disabilities , or because they live in an isolated environment with few opportunities to meet other seniors, come to good senior sites like this one.
 

Not that long ago, I would've told you that I thought the loneliness crisis was mostly caused by the internet. And I still think that the internet can contribute in some ways to loneliness.

But the more I looked into it, I think that the internet (and before that, tv's, heck even radio) was somewhat a reaction to loneliness. I think that the beginnings of the loneliness crisis may have been the Industrial Revolution with people moving away from families and into cities into tiny apartments and working in factories, etc. Then here in the U.S., the Depression slowed down some of that moving away from families. Then, here in the U.S. anyway, it really picked up speed again after World War 2 when many soldiers coming home from the War attended college using the "G.I. Bill", then after graduating, married their high school sweetheart, moved far away to a job in the defense contracting/aerospace industry, leaving family behind.

An early book about the loneliness crisis, The Lonely Crowd, a sociological analysis by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney was published in 1950, so about 5 years after the end of WW2 when I guess the experts were starting to notice it.

And the suburbs were mentioned a lot for being lonely places, one of the reasons always mentioned was the lack of front porches on the homes. The companies building the houses always said that the lack of porches was because of having to throw up a lot of these homes in a hurry due to demand and to keep cost down.

But! A few years back, an old high-rise office building in Chicago (IIRC) was being demolished or remodeled and a bunch of old files were discovered and turned over to historians. Among the papers were a carbon copy (remember those? lol) of a letter from a CEO of a corporation in that building, dated from the late 40s or early 50s, to one of the CEOs or whatever of one of the companies building all those suburban subdivisions, thanking him for not putting front porches on their houses.

IIRC, the letter said something like, "I know you aren't doing front porches due to time and money but it sure helps me out! These idiots working for me complain enough as it is every time I transfer them to another plant or factory in another town. I certainly don't want their wives and kids making friends with the neighbors and them complaining even more. So keep up the good work and keep the front porches off the houses!"

So this trend of increasing loneliness has been going on even before the internet.
 
One way urban communities combat this is by having outdoor street art, food, wine fairs during season periods when weather is best. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, that is best in spring and fall. Adding live music is always a big draw. Also Farmer's markets since our state has such extensive and diverse farming. The fact such events draw a broad range of people speaks to how individuals, including many that are otherwise indeed lonely, are drawn to such events. As I wrote on the current "art of conversation thread:

...But many adults once they leave their high school years, get into occupations where talking to a few lunch time peers is about all they experience each day unless they find other after work or weekend activities to share. For some its a beer drinking life at some local bars. For others its a Tuesday evening meeting at a community church. It also used to be mall shopaholics talking to retail folks...

Even with such events, because many are so verbally inhibited today due to their own lack of practice, they merely walk about without engaging others that an individual themselves must come to understand is socially unhealthy as human beings, then make an effort to change. One way any isolated person can improve their speaking skills is to regularly read from books out loud. Our isolated ancestors often did that after Bibles proliferated.
 
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packleader said:
Silicon Valley county becomes first in U.S. to declare loneliness a health emergency

Loneliness is officially a health emergency in California's San Mateo County, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes part of Silicon Valley.

The county's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday that declared loneliness a public health crisis and pledged to explore measures that promote social connection in the community.

It’s the first county in the U.S. to make such a declaration.

The resolution doesn’t directly set aside funds for programs to reduce loneliness; rather, it signals the county's commitment to addressing the issue and validates residents' experiences, said David Canepa, the Board of Supervisors’ vice president, who introduced the legislation.

"What we're trying to do is to really get people out of the corners and say, 'Hey, look, there are a lot of people who are feeling like you. You're not alone. And moving forward, here are some of the things that we can do to support you,'" he said.

Canepa added that the measure was partly inspired by efforts in the U.K. and Japan, which have each appointed national ministers to address loneliness.

<skipping the rest of the article>

When I was a child, we had a radio but no TV, Internet, social media, and so on. I still remember that we came together with friends and neighbors all the time to play cards and for other activities. I think all the modern "conveniences" have isolated us. Of course, there are exceptions. With the iPhone, my scattered family is several times a day in touch with "gossiping." There is also the "Senior Forums." But they are a poor substitute for the social get-togethers as I remember it from my childhood.

=======

And a related issue:
Anxiety hits certain age groups harder than others. Here's how to spot the signs
Anxiety is a serious mental health condition that can have a significant impact on people's quality of life. In fact, severe anxiety can be debilitating, and it impacts up to 20% of people over 65.

​


​

Click to expand...
If this subject interest you look at the 1965 Older Americans Act
https://acl.gov/sites/default/files...mended by Public Law 116-131 on 3-25-2020.pdf

Those concerns were known in 1965 and Kennedy won the election by appealing to older Americans. Then his administration followed through with many unfunded programs. The Older Americans Act entitles older Americans to many things like decent housing (unfunded), transportation unfunded, and continuing education (we can audit college classes without charge).
The idea was to enable older Americans to remain active participants in society by assuring them basic needs and opportunities.

I am a Senior Companion. I am given a stipend to visit with people and take them shopping or to the doctor or walks in the park. A week ago I took my Friday person to the Science Museum at the college and last Friday we went to the Art Museum at the college. Other clients may just want to go shopping and do errands. Sometimes we do puzzles or play games like Scrabble or Yahtzee. This program gives us an opportunity to help others and the stipend is a nice supplement for low-income people. Mostly domestic women who stayed home to care for family and therefore do not have careers or good retirement plans.

One of my favorite things to do with my people is go to Cafe 60. That is the nutrition program where for a donation a senior can have lunch. This is not just about food. It is about meeting people and socializing and developing our own support groups. Besides having Meals On Wheels and several Cafe 60s, we have what was a Senior Center and is now a community center because of funding issues.

Medicare covers memberships to pools and gyms. Once again this is a social aspect. We get up and push ourselves to the pool or gym because we know the people we talk with when we get there will be looking for us and if we don't show up they will want to know why. Shame on us if we just decided to stay in bed on a cold, wet day. :ROFLMAO:

The problem is the lack of funding. We have pools with gym rooms because our schools were willing to pay for the pools and they made swimming part of the curriculum. Budget cuts led to schools dropping swimming, and Medicare began funding exercise programs so the pools switched from something for children to something for seniors. However many communities do not have large pools of money to get the pools and gyms.

Communities are losing what they have because they are unaware of the Older Americans Act and no one cares. The best possible thing that could happen is for us to raise awareness. Our attention has shifted to gay rights and past injustices and this is good, but they are getting all the media attention and therefore funding, not the wonderful Older Americans Act and all its programs. While to my horror, the number of Older Americans who are entitled to decent housing are among the homeless and because all services depend on having a home, they are closed out of mainstream society and its benefits I have a book questioning, "Will America Grow Up Before It Grows Old?"
 
officerripley said:
Not that long ago, I would've told you that I thought the loneliness crisis was mostly caused by the internet. And I still think that the internet can contribute in some ways to loneliness.

But the more I looked into it, I think that the internet (and before that, tv's, heck even radio) was somewhat a reaction to loneliness. I think that the beginnings of the loneliness crisis may have been the Industrial Revolution with people moving away from families and into cities into tiny apartments and working in factories, etc. Then here in the U.S., the Depression slowed down some of that moving away from families. Then, here in the U.S. anyway, it really picked up speed again after World War 2 when many soldiers coming home from the War attended college using the "G.I. Bill", then after graduating, married their high school sweetheart, moved far away to a job in the defense contracting/aerospace industry, leaving family behind.

An early book about the loneliness crisis, The Lonely Crowd, a sociological analysis by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney was published in 1950, so about 5 years after the end of WW2 when I guess the experts were starting to notice it.

And the suburbs were mentioned a lot for being lonely places, one of the reasons always mentioned was the lack of front porches on the homes. The companies building the houses always said that the lack of porches was because of having to throw up a lot of these homes in a hurry due to demand and to keep cost down.

But! A few years back, an old high-rise office building in Chicago (IIRC) was being demolished or remodeled and a bunch of old files were discovered and turned over to historians. Among the papers were a carbon copy (remember those? lol) of a letter from a CEO of a corporation in that building, dated from the late 40s or early 50s, to one of the CEOs or whatever of one of the companies building all those suburban subdivisions, thanking him for not putting front porches on their houses.

IIRC, the letter said something like, "I know you aren't doing front porches due to time and money but it sure helps me out! These idiots working for me complain enough as it is every time I transfer them to another plant or factory in another town. I certainly don't want their wives and kids making friends with the neighbors and them complaining even more. So keep up the good work and keep the front porches off the houses!"

So this trend of increasing loneliness has been going on even before the internet.
Click to expand...
Before the Internet, I was intolerably lonely and isolated in rural places. I would still be lonely without the internet despite my very busy life and social commitments. On the internet, I can find people interested in what I want to talk about and they are here waiting for me when I have the time to get to them.

Imagine if the pioneer women had had the internet and could have stayed in touch with their mothers. I think our lives would have been very different. We all need social networks and that isn't something that can be possible in all rural areas. Women were left alone with a man who could have been a drunk and abusive, and their children. She was lucky to go to town once a week. If she did anything wrong or was not a member of a church she and her children would be shunned. Sorry, my memories of rural life are not pleasant ones. The Internet would have made a big difference.
 
officerripley said:
Not that long ago, I would've told you that I thought the loneliness crisis was mostly caused by the internet. And I still think that the internet can contribute in some ways to loneliness.

But the more I looked into it, I think that the internet (and before that, tv's, heck even radio) was somewhat a reaction to loneliness. I think that the beginnings of the loneliness crisis may have been the Industrial Revolution with people moving away from families and into cities into tiny apartments and working in factories, etc. Then here in the U.S., the Depression slowed down some of that moving away from families. Then, here in the U.S. anyway, it really picked up speed again after World War 2 when many soldiers coming home from the War attended college using the "G.I. Bill", then after graduating, married their high school sweetheart, moved far away to a job in the defense contracting/aerospace industry, leaving family behind.

An early book about the loneliness crisis, The Lonely Crowd, a sociological analysis by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney was published in 1950, so about 5 years after the end of WW2 when I guess the experts were starting to notice it.

And the suburbs were mentioned a lot for being lonely places, one of the reasons always mentioned was the lack of front porches on the homes. The companies building the houses always said that the lack of porches was because of having to throw up a lot of these homes in a hurry due to demand and to keep cost down.

But! A few years back, an old high-rise office building in Chicago (IIRC) was being demolished or remodeled and a bunch of old files were discovered and turned over to historians. Among the papers were a carbon copy (remember those? lol) of a letter from a CEO of a corporation in that building, dated from the late 40s or early 50s, to one of the CEOs or whatever of one of the companies building all those suburban subdivisions, thanking him for not putting front porches on their houses.

IIRC, the letter said something like, "I know you aren't doing front porches due to time and money but it sure helps me out! These idiots working for me complain enough as it is every time I transfer them to another plant or factory in another town. I certainly don't want their wives and kids making friends with the neighbors and them complaining even more. So keep up the good work and keep the front porches off the houses!"

So this trend of increasing loneliness has been going on even before the internet.
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Thank you for this information. The reference to the front porch was disturbing but interesting. I am blessed with a small front porch. I only began using it in recent years and have met neighbors out walking their dogs or coming home from the bus stop. It all helps. The woman next door catches me sitting outside from her kitchen window. I sure wish she didn't have to move next month.
 
Alizerine said:
Thank you for this information. The reference to the front porch was disturbing but interesting. I am blessed with a small front porch. I only began using it in recent years and have met neighbors out walking their dogs or coming home from the bus stop. It all helps. The woman next door catches me sitting outside from her kitchen window. I sure wish she didn't have to move next month.
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You're welcome. Other things that I've heard that has sometimes contributed to loneliness is, even if a residence did have a front porch, the invention of TV and air conditioning lead to people using their porches less. So a lot of things have contributed to loneliness; so much to do with the human condition is complicated.
 
Vida May said:
Before the Internet, I was intolerably lonely and isolated in rural places. I would still be lonely without the internet despite my very busy life and social commitments. On the internet, I can find people interested in what I want to talk about and they are here waiting for me when I have the time to get to them.

Imagine if the pioneer women had had the internet and could have stayed in touch with their mothers. I think our lives would have been very different. We all need social networks and that isn't something that can be possible in all rural areas. Women were left alone with a man who could have been a drunk and abusive, and their children. She was lucky to go to town once a week. If she did anything wrong or was not a member of a church she and her children would be shunned. Sorry, my memories of rural life are not pleasant ones. The Internet would have made a big difference.
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This is so true. And even though it seems as if more attention is finally maybe being paid to the problem of loneliness, especially amongst the elderly, any time a solution is reported on, I look into it and it's unavailable anywhere near where I live.

For ex.: an article I read this morning about an elderly guy living in Seattle, Wash., who had battled loneliness for various reasons all his life, found out that there are a certain kind of senior "community" where you don't have to live at a particular site, you can just join and avail yourself of a lot of different activities, help, etc in your local area.

So he did and made a lot of acquaintances and even a few friends in his age group who had been in the same situation; he's much happier now. Sounded great since I doubt I'll ever talk my huzz into moving off of this too-big, rural lot and closer to civilization. Welp, turns out there are absolutely none of those communities in this entire state, not a one. So another useless dream.
 
I accept that there is a problem because I've been dealing with it myself. Disappointments and poor decisions probably led me into the "pit" of isolation earlier than many others.

I'm surprised there isn't more Internet based support structure like this forum site. Demand has only increased as the bulge of boomers started retiring a few years ago.

There are groups of refugees from the MSN Chat days hanging on if you look hard enough. At going on 68 they tease me as the "baby" there.

"Social media" in the current sense... using different technologies like Facebook and beyond aren't the same thing really at all. Maybe having not used them I'm wrong about that, but they don't seem as open as just joining here and diving into the pond.

I've already started a Senior Center conversation. It seems that those cater to the upper half of the retiree population, and that's fine, but they aren't very useful to me.

Just thoughts.
 
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