ARTICLES
ARCHIVES
Ridding yourself of social isolation
Is social isolation caused by the internet?
Many people mistakenly think that social isolation is caused by the internet, while in fact if the internet was not there, the socially isolated person would have found anything else to do to isolate himself from others [like staying in front of a computer, TV, or reading a book].
So if social isolation is not caused by the internet, then why are some socially-isolated people still internet addicts? The socially-isolated person always comes up with a brilliant self-deception plan that can help him/her avoid people, without feeling that he is actually escaping.
By believing themselves that they are an internet addict, or that the internet is the main reason for their social isolation, a person ....
Read More
Facts about seniors and loneliness
In spite of all our communication technology, with cell phones, e-mail and video chats, researchers have found that people today are more lonely than they have ever been. One group which is particularly at risk for loneliness is the elderly. Seniors who live alone may feel isolated so many reasons. Their kids have forgot to visit, they can’t get out of the house because of various illnesses, and some may even have difficulties understanding the whole aging process; all this can lead to depression. It’s not just people living alone, but the whole idea of getting old and not being able to do all the things you once enjoyed.
A research study done by the University of California San Francisco found that 43 percent of seniors say th....
Read More
Get acquainted with LAO
The purpose of this new non-profit organization is to bring together persons who live at-risk alone. These people, once registered as LAO members, then have immediate access to the opportunity of reducing their isolation, and increasing their security and well-being, while giving another member the same benefit. And the only equipment necessary is a telephone!
LessAlone.org is the portal to developing membership [free of charge to anyone in the USA], and then pairing (matching) members via the online program.
Many average individuals know personally at least one person of their acquaintance who lives alone at home without vital daily contact with any other person. Social workers are even more aware of these at-risk cases - those who r....
Read More
May 2012
A briefing paper prepared for:
The Council on Contemporary Families for Older Americans
By Eric Klinenberg, New York University
Stacy Torres, New York University
Elena Portacolone, University of California, San Francisco
In just eight years, there will be more Americans over age sixty-five than under age fifteen. By 2030 the number of people over sixty-five will double, while the number of those over eighty will nearly triple.
It’s not just the number of elders in America that is unprecedented: There has also been a revolution in how and where the elderly live. One hundred years ago, 70 percent of American widows and widowers moved in with their families. Today nearly the same proportion of widows and widowers live alone.....
Read More
Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Going Alone
GWEN IFILL: Finally tonight, a look at a major demographic change in America, the sharp increase in people who live alone. Ray Suarez has our conversation.
RAY SUAREZ: The numbers tell the story. In 1950, 22 percent of American adults were single. Four million lived alone. They accounted for 9 percent of all households. Fast-forward to today, more than 50 percent of American adults are single -- 31 million, about one out of every seven, live alone. They make up 28 percent of all households. These so-called singletons are the focus of a new book by Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Going Alone." Well, from all those numbers, it's obvious somethin....
Read More
Just Right For Many Seniors
Perhaps you love the idea of moving into an independent living or assisted living community, but you're concerned about your budget. Or maybe you simply don't want to live alone. Either way, senior living communities offer the perfect solution - Friendship Suites. Friendship Suites are an option that allows two individuals the opportunity to share an apartment, make new friends, and realize a monthly cost savings. All the benefits of companion living while still receiving the same full scope of personalized attention, outstanding services and amenities that assisted-living communities offer.
How are "friendship suites" arranged?
The facilities match compatible personality types and shared interests, with the goal of creating a ba....
Read More
With an online education, shy people could earn their college degree from home
Want to go back to school, but not sure your shy personality can handle the large classes, club fairs, and social events on campus?
If you would prefer less face-to-face interaction and want to take classes on your own time, an online education might be a good option to consider.
Tammy Peery, an online English professor at Montgomery College in Maryland, says that shy people may feel more at ease in an online program.
"Introverted students really blossom in online courses," says Peery. "They're able to actively participate without the pressure of other people looking at them. They don't have to be brilliant immediately - they can take their time to craft answers. Without the pressure of a visual audience, many students feel more comfor....
Read More
Being depressed can cause isolation
Being depressed can cause you to not only feel, but also become, more isolated, experts say.(Health.com) -- It's long been known that elderly people are more prone to depression and other mental-health problems if they live on their own. New research suggests the same pattern may also be found in younger, working-age adults.In a study of nearly 3,500 men and women ages 30 to 65, researchers in Finland found that people who lived alone were more likely that their peers to receive a prescription for antidepressant drugs. One quarter of people living alone filled an antidepressant prescription during the seven-year study, compared to just 16% of those who lived with spouses, family, or roommates."Living alone may be considered a mental-he....
Read More
Why marriage isn't the key to a happy life
Apart from the rare instances in which the presence of a spouse is literally life-saving, I don't believe a married life is necessarily any happier than a life lived alone (as much as I love my wife and have felt my life to be enormously enriched by her presence in it). Certainly, divorce statistics would support the idea that a significant number of marriages make people unhappier. We may be driven to couple ourselves, but we all struggle to do it well (living with someone else is simply hard for reasons that are anything but simple). Single people may envy their coupled friends, but depending on how skilled you are at conducting a relationship, it may easily cause you more misery than being single and wanting to be coupled ever did.....
Read More
Aging Alone in America
Lawrence, an 89-year old San Franciscan who spends most of his time by himself, proclaims from his dusty living room crammed with vinyl records: "that's one thing I can do, is just live alone, and that's what I do." This year, the "doing" of living alone is finally hitting the headlines with the launch of sociologist Eric Klinenberg's superb new book, Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.
A few weeks after the launch, TIME magazine proclaims that living solo is the first of the "ten ideas that are changing life." For Klinenberg, living alone is a platform for self-realization, freedom and social engagement. He adds that living alone is easier with robust welfare policies a....
Read More
