or Danish researchers began studying 3,346 men, average age 63, in 1985, tracking their health for 32 years. The medical and mental effects of this shift are complex. For numerous seniors, aging in place means living at home, oftentimes alone, throughout their golden years. And because women outlive men, the percentages of women living alone are even higher; 46% of American women over the age of 75 live alone. Sign up for our free email newsletter and receive the best stories from Smithsonian.com each week. According to the Administration on Aging, in 2012, 28% of all older people not currently living in an assisted living community were living at home alone. 61 Awesome Benefits Of Living Alone. Elder Abuse. Waking up from your nightmare in the middle of the night is even worse and you literally clutch on to your sheets for dear life. Living alone and having a nightmare is a totally different ball game. Structurally, how can we design cities so that they are built for social interaction?”, analysis, in European Heart Journal Quality of Care & Clinical Outcomes. A recent study concludes that living alone is strongly linked to poorer mental health. I like coming home after work, taking my pants off, throwing my hair on top of my head in a big pile and laying in my bed to read or watch shameful television… U.S. Canada U.K. Australia Brazil España France Ελλάδα (Greece) India Italia 日本 (Japan) 한국 (Korea) Quebec. Loneliness increased a person’s risk of death by 26 percent, social isolation by 29 percent, and living alone by 32 percent. It's a hard fact to face, but it's something you may need to consider thoughtfully if you have an elderly loved one who is still living on their own. Living alone could be dangerous for your health, especially for those who have suffered heart attack and stroke, says a new study. 14 Sharing Skills Disappear. When the researchers controlled for baseline health and age, the mortality gap between the lonely and the non-lonely largely vanished. I'm retired now, and I thought I might feel lonely when I left work. Over the period, 89 percent of the men died, 39 percent from cardiovascular diseases. Solo … Elderly Living: 7 Dangers of Seniors Living Alone at Home Monday, February 3, 2020 The sad truth is that a lot of us become less able to be independent as we age. According to the analysis, the main driver seems to be loneliness. This jibes with previous work by other researchers, such as the fact that living alone with a serious cardiovascular problem makes you more likely to die, and a 2011 Finnish finding that living on your own increases your risk of mortality from an alcohol-related death. And living alone can feel liberating—the only dishes in the sink are ones you put there, everything is exactly your taste and the bookshelf is a perfect portrait of your psychology and your psychology only. Danish researchers began studying 3,346 men, average age 63, in 1985, tracking their health for 32 years. “Social isolation is a global problem and won’t be solved on an individual level. A recent study published in the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science found being well connected was associated with greater longevity. “It’s paradoxical that the more we live in concentrated populations in big cities, the more people are living alone” said the lead author, Dr. Magnus T. Jensen, a researcher at Copenhagen University Hospital. It depends on lots of things, whether you are social or antisocial, whether it is by choice or not, whether you are comfortable with your own company or not etc etc. Get to Know Your Neighbor. Know how to escape if a fire or natural disaster happens. 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As a lady living alone, there are tons of dangers that come with living solo. The researchers specifically looked at the association between mortality (overall risk of death) and a pair of conditions: social isolation (as indicated by a lack of contact with others) and loneliness (as reflected by participants’ answers on a survey). But for the rest, the lower the socioeconomic status, the higher the risk for death. But sometimes it can feel a little stressful: isn't living alone dangerous? Staying in the home that they have always been in makes sense, and it may even offer benefits to their emotional well-being. On the flip, where the grass is greener living alone has a bright side filled with wonders that every non-living alone resident surely aspires for such as things like: 1. Nope. Vote Now! Tags: awkward moments with contractors, living alone trackback. 61 Awesome Benefits Of Living Alone. Living alone or feeling lonely can increase your risk of premature death. It doesn't have to be! If you’re at home by yourself, here are nine dangers of seniors living alone: 1. But then, living alone is dangerous, as a girl, in most of the places today. U.S. Of the most socially isolated respondents, 21.9 percent did not survive to March 2012, as compared with 12.3 percent of the least isolated. Aging Alone and Well. Risk of Accidental Overdoses. This is one of the reasons that seniors living alone can be dangerous. 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced. Posts about dangers of living alone written by susan. If there is one thing that living alone has proven, is that- in terms of self-discovery, it has successfully clarified my gender and definitely stapled that in fact I am – a girl. The dangers of elderly living alone aren’t always visible on the physical level. I treasure the peace of my drama-free life and active inner life. Men who lived alone had a 23 percent increased risk for dying prematurely from any cause and a 36 percent increased risk for cardiovascular death. This is a very real concern because depression has been linked to more rapid onset and/or progression of other age-related mental conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Edition. COMEDY 11/18/2015 11:16 am ET. Declining memory combined with living alone can create a dangerous situation for elders on medication. This indicates that the real danger of living alone is not feeling lonely per se, but having reduced contact with others. The authors emphasize that the remaining 81 percent of the population was not deprived or living in poverty, but consisted mainly of middle-class and skilled and unskilled workers. Interestingly, though, defining oneself as lonely—via the answers about one’s emotions and psychological state on the survey—did not have the same effect. Being socially isolated increases your chance of death, but not simply because you’re feeling lonely. What this means is that they usually end up living alone. For a senior living alone, this can create a life-threatening situation as there is nobody around to help or even call an ambulance. Living alone was not associated with dying prematurely for those in the highest socioeconomic group — the 19 percent of study participants who had a university degree or worked in an executive position. Cookie Policy Defying the Statistics “Do you like being alone?” This question begins “ A Solitary Life Carries Risk ” in the NY Times “Well” section. California Do Not Sell My Info Privacy Statement When seniors live alone, they are much more likely to become lonely, disinterested in normal day-to-day activities, and depressed. This indicates that the real danger of living alone is not feeling lonely per se, but having reduced contact with others. #4. 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