EP104 - AARP/ Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge: Social Participation

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facilitating greater participation — specified as engagement in social activities that provide opportunities for social interaction with others in the community — is pivotal for granting older adults to fulfill their basic socialization needs, self-actualization and supporting society in dealing with population aging.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the United States, almost a quarter of community-dwelling older adults are socially isolated, and</span> <strong>43% of these older adults report feeling lonely</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Due to the crucial nature of such engagement for older individuals' health, its decrease has been linked to substantial health consequences, including a</span> <strong>29% increased chance of death.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The concern of encouraging older adults to maintain social involvement is only addressed in a narrow context.</span> <strong>This Is Getting Old</strong><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, with our mission to move toward an age-friendly world, invites you to watch the full episode or listen to the podcast of the 9th episode of our 10-part AARP/ Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge—</span><strong>Part 9: Social Participation.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Learn more about valuable programs and innovative solutions that can help you or someone you know. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Key points covered in this episode: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>✔️</strong> <strong>Loneliness Is A Chronic Disease</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Regardless of one's age, loneliness is often as debilitating as a health condition. It's equivalent basically to having a chronic illness or a disease. Social isolation is equivalent to smoking about</span> <a href= "https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epidemic"> <strong>15 cigarettes a day</strong></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">.</span></