A Group Adopting Precious Elderly

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The rocking chair softly squeaks as the tears cruise down the deeply lined face. Thoughts of long past visits, laughter and happier times swiftly race through the minds. Now it seems as if there is only sadness, empty days and lonely nights. The memories no longer bring comfort but instead now only bring pain. This is the story of our elderly. All too often they become the forgotten members of our society. So many times, the elders in our communities are not being socialized. This lack can lead to depression and health problems that perhaps could be avoided under different circumstances. In a case study by Indiana University, in 1994, they studied 1,711 patients 60 years and older. Over a period of nine months, they discovered that 292 of the patients were depressed and that 140 remained in clinical depression. These patients had poorer health and more emergency room visits and outpatient care than their non-depressed counterparts. (McManamy, 2003) Cardiovascular problems as well as a variety of other health issues have been linked to social isolation and loneliness. Loneliness specifically due to lack of emotional support and lack of companionship gives a rise to this problem. Clinical research showed that individuals who had fewer social connections often have a worse prognosis than those who have more. (Sorkin, Rook PH.D., & Lu, 2002) When the heart is affected by loneliness it seems to have a direct link to heart problems in the physical body. According to Susan Womack, in her article “Elderly People living ‘lonely lives’,” she tells of how a survey was completed by a group named Help the Aged who took a close look at the conditions of the elderly individuals in Britain. The results were staggering. Almost half of those su... ... middle of paper ... ...M. (1987). Socila Interaction, Loneliness and Emotional Well-Being Among the Elderly. Sage Journals Online , 459-482. McManamy, J. (2003, December 5). Depression in the Elderly. Retrieved October 4, 2010, from McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web: http://www.mcmanweb.com/elderly.depression.html Sorkin, D., Rook PH.D., K. S., & Lu, J. L. (2002). Loneliness, Lack of Emotional Support, Lack of Companionship and the Likelihood of Having a Heart Condition in an Elderly Sample. Annals of Behavioral Medicine , 290-298. Womack, S. (2007, October 26). Elderly People Living 'lonely lives'. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1567381/Elderly-people-living-lonely-lives.html Yang, Y. (2007). Is Old Age Depressing? Growth Trajectories and Cohorts Variations in Late-Life Depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 16-32.

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