Essay On Polly Connelly

Polly Connelly starts her morning with a cigarette in her hand and a diet coke by her side. She lives alone, her husband recently passed away and her son moved out. After her husband passed away Connelly’s days became longer and lonelier. “Living alone is like not knowing how to swim, you feel as if you cannot escape the force pulling you down,” Connelly said.

She became depressed once she started to live alone after her husband died. She spends her afternoons wearing a black oversized apron, her slender arms and short gray hair preparing a small meal for herself. Polly’s life style began to change. She started to develop smoking habits. Since then she started to develop health problems because of her isolation. Nearly 37 percent of elders

She used to spend long days in the front yard pruning the trees, tending to the blossomed flowers and planting new plants. She eventually stopped her hobby after her husband died. She started to feel light headed and weak. She went to the doctor and he diagnosed her with depression.

Around 28 percent of Americans over 65 live alone. Research shows elders who live alone are three times more likely to have heart disease because of lack of exercise and poor diets (Squire). Also, elderly woman who feels neglected often develop depression and coping methods regarding isolation. A method of coping would is smoking cigarettes. Loss of a spouse can lead to social isolation and living alone (Singh). Women are more likely to receive health treatment compared to males resulting in females living longer which can cause depression if their spouses are dying.

Connelly is not happy in her new life. “I feel as if everything I used to do with my husband is a constant reminder of how lonely I am,” Connelly said. When she sends birthday cards, she addresses only her name. She wants to communicate with other people but they don’t call her back. She calls her son but he never returns the voicemail she leaves. She is lonely and the only voice she hears in her house is the television playing in the

Participants from the ages of 60-80 years old living alone took a test to determine depression. Both males and females were slightly more depressed due to the fact of them living alone. Women were typically more affected because of living alone and displaying negative mood and limited social communication. Traveling would help eliminate stress and isolation in the household (Karin).

For the future Connelly desires to travel around the world. “Traveling would fill the void of this empty house,” she said. It would be a new adventure for her, an adventure where she could escape her loneliness. Connelly couldn’t travel so instead she bought a dog. She bought a small dog and named him Connell. Connell and Connelly go on walks every morning and watch television. Connelly is trying to change her life to positivity and eliminate sadness, “I just do not want to feel sad anymore,” she