COVID-19 Information - Click Here
Skip to Content
Homewatch CareGivers
LocationsIcon of Map Pin
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Franchise Opportunities
  • Care Community Blog
  • Contact Us
close
  • Back
  • Home
  • About Home Care
    • Back
    • What is Home Care
    • Types of Care
    • Financing Options
    • Cost
    About Home Care Homewatch CareGivers® believes good care should not interfere with your quality of life. We deliver the compassionate care our clients need to help complete day-to-day activities while still maintaining a healthy dose of independence.
  • Types of Care
    • Back
    • Elder Care
    • 24-Hour Care
    • Child Care
    • Respite Care
    • Senior Transportation Services
    • Companion Care
    • Hospital Discharge
    • Chronic Conditions Care
    • Dementia Care
    • Nursing Services
    • After Surgery Care
    • Personal Care
    Types of Care Our clients have many different reasons for requiring care, so we strive to provide services tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. Homewatch CareGivers delivers various types of in-home care that focus on the whole person—not just their condition.
  • Resources
    • Back
    • ALS
    • Arthritis
    • Dementia
    • Developmental Disabilities
    • Diabetes
    • Heart Disease
    • Parkinson's Disease
    • Senior Safety
    • Stroke
    • For Health Care Providers
    • Ask The Experts
  • Our Story
    • Back
    • Team Bios
    • Facts & History
    • National Quality Forum
    • In the Media
    • Home Care Association of America
    Our Story Homewatch CareGivers was founded on the concept of person-directed care: focusing on the specific needs of the individual and treating each client as a whole person, not just a condition. We strive to provide in-home care services that allow people to continue living safely and happily in their own homes.
  • Why Choose Us?
    • Back
    • Our Caregivers
    • Questions to Ask
    • Homewatch CareGivers University
    • Client Testimonials
    • In-Home Senior Safety
    Why Choose Us? Let our family care for yours. At Homewatch CareGivers, we value not only highly qualified caregiving services but also human interactions and relationships. Our people make the difference.
LocationsIcon of Map Pin

Is Your Mom Lonely?

Is Your Mom Lonely? May 27, 2014
Blog Categories
  • COVID-19
  • A Business with a cause
  • Addressing Isolation & Loneliness
  • Age at home
  • Age in place
  • Aging at Home
  • Aging Parent
  • aging parents
  • animal therapy
  • Anxiety Support
  • Best Home Care
  • Care for Aging Parents
  • Care for My Aging Parent
  • Caregiver
  • Caregiver Assistance
  • Caregiver Stress
  • caregiving assistance
  • caring star
  • caring star award
  • caring.com
  • caring.com award
  • Coping and Caregiving
  • Coronavirus
  • Cost of Care
  • Dementia
  • dementia care
  • Elderly Parent Care
  • Essential Caregiver Skills
  • Events
  • Falls Prevention
  • Family Caregiver
  • Financial Resources
  • Franchise
  • Franchising
  • handling caregiver stress
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Holiday Celebration
  • Home Care
  • Homewatch CareGivers
  • how to manage caregiver stress
  • In-Home Safety
  • Job Fair
  • Local
  • Long Term Care
  • Long Term Care Options
  • National Public Health Week
  • New Office in New Haven
  • older parents
  • parents aging
  • Parkinson’s Symptoms
  • Passion of Caregiving
  • Pet Therapy
  • Planning Ahead
  • Provider Choice Award
  • Senior Care & Aging
  • Senior Exercise
  • service dog
  • Social Distancing
  • stress
  • therapy dog
  • top rated home care agency
  • wandering

Loneliness can happen to people at any age, whether they are physically alone or around other people, and it can become a chronic issue for some.

“Loneliness can definitely be a mental health issue,” said David L. Shern, PhD, President/CEO at Mental Health America. “Social isolation, lack of a social support system, can increase the likelihood that individuals will develop a mental illness.” 

Mental Health America launched May’s Mental Health Month 65 years ago and the theme this year is “Mind Your Health.” The goal of this month is to increase public recognition about the connection between mental health and overall health and wellness.

Loneliness and Elders

Is Your Mom Lonely?There can be many causes of loneliness, and for many older adults, feelings of loneliness are the result of social isolation due to the death of a spouse, no longer living near family and friends, or illness or disability that affects their routines. 

The Eden Alternative®, a non-profit organization that provides “education and consultation for organizations across the continuum of care,” has identified loneliness as one of the three plagues that are responsible for much of the suffering experienced by senior citizens. 

“The antidote to loneliness is companionship,” said Laura Beck, Learning and Development Guide for The Eden Alternative. “Close and continuous contact can alleviate loneliness.”

According to the Eden Alternative, loving companionship can be from a human and animal bond, developing intergenerational relationships, and developing deeply-knowing relationships. 

People who are experiencing loneliness may not express it and this can lead to other problems. 

“As individuals experience the stresses of life, the lack of persons to help ameliorate the psychological and practical impacts of these stresses increases the likelihood that they will have damaging effects on one’s mental health,” said Dr. Shern. “Also, the shame associated with mental illnesses, owing to continued lack of understanding by the general public, can lead to social isolation and loneliness.”

Overcoming Loneliness

At any given time, roughly 60 million Americans, or at least one in five people, are feeling lonely, according to John T. Cacioppo, PhD, University of Chicago psychology professor and coauthor of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. A 2012 study published in the “Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry” showed that elderly people who are lonely are 64 percent or 2.5 time more likely to develop dementia than those who weren’t lonely. Loneliness can lead to long-term physical health problems, including dementia. 

Tips for coping with loneliness include:

  1. Recognizing that loneliness is a problem is the first step in coping with it.
  2. Reaching out to friends, family and local support networks to alleviate the feelings of loneliness.
  3. Asking for what you need from friends to feel less lonely.

“Strategies that overcome both the negative impacts of isolation and loneliness and the effects of mental illnesses on increasing isolation are available and good for everyone’s mental health,” said. Dr. Shern.

Visit the Mental Health America website for mental health screening tools, tips on wellness, mental health services in your area and more.
Posted By Homewatch CareGivers
  • Share
Blog Home - Previous Post | Next Post
More Posts Like This
  • How The Eden Alternative is Evolving
    Jan 4, 2021

    How The Eden Alternative is Evolving

    Homewatch CareGivers and The Eden Alternative of working together to help educate caregivers. Learn more about their new learning platforms.

    Read More
  • Making Vibrancy Part of Your Life
    Jan 4, 2021

    Making Vibrancy Part of Your Life

    It’s that time to make resolutions, plan for the future, and aim for a better and brighter life through small daily choices and habits. Add vibrancy to your list of resolutions.

    Read More
  • Connecting to Fight Loneliness
    Jan 4, 2021

    Connecting to Fight Loneliness

    Do you know an elder who might be lonely? Learn more about loneliness and how to help end this feeling in others.

    Read More
Homewatch CareGivers Caregiving Services
Find Your Location Homewatch CareGivers is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Help & Info
  • About Homecare
  • Types of Care
  • Financing Options & Programs
  • Our Resources
  • Owner Login
Our Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Blog
  • Franchise Opportunities
Other
  • National Homepage Homewatch CareGivers University Login Privacy Policy Site Map
  • Accessibility Notice
  • HIPAA Disclaimer
  • Do Not Sell My Information - California Residents
Follow Us On

Part of the Authority Brands Family

Authority Brands is the leading provider of in-home services, building brands that support the success of franchisees as well as better the lives of the homeowners we serve and the people we employ.
/
Copyright © 2021 | Homewatch CareGivers® is a trademark owned by Homewatch International, Inc.™ and licensed for use to independently-owned franchised businesses that offer caregiver services to the public. All personal services, elderly care, caregiving and home care services offered OR provided under the Homewatch CareGivers™ mark are offered and provided only by independently-owned franchises and, where required, licensed OR registered businesses and care agencies. Scorpion Franchise Internet Marketing
x

⚠

Your browser is out of date. To get the full experience of this website, please update to most recent version.

Update My Browser