The TRENDS podcast is a collaboration between the Community Foundation of Boulder County and KGNU. It dives deep into the community’s most pressing issues and explores the changes happening throughout Boulder County through the experiences of community members, especially those often rendered invisible by commercial media, to shed light on community challenges, solutions, and pathways forward for the county and the country.

 

 

Adults over 65 are expected to comprise 20% of Boulder County’s total population by the year 2030. Between 2020 and 2050, the county’s overall population is expected to rise by 33%, with a 58% increase in older adult population and a 244% increase in adults over 80. With an ageing population, we take a look at how many seniors in Boulder County are vulnerable to isolation.

“You become a very solitary individual and that makes you depressed, sad, lonely and, more importantly, you wonder what it is you’re doing in your old age, why are you still around?” — Barbara Steinmetz

82-year-old Barbara Steinmetz became aware of the danger of becoming an isolated senior when she began to lose her hearing.

“A number of years ago, my husband was getting cancer treatment and there was a big sign at the hospital, and it said: ‘free hearing test.’ So I immediately went and I had my hearing tested, and I found that I had a severe hearing problem, and I spoke with the otolaryngologist and I said, ‘well, you know, I’ve been getting along just fine without hearing aids.’ You know, I just wanted, I just wanted the information, I wasn’t planning on doing anything and I was told that if you don’t do anything, what will happen is you will lose your cognitive skills, you will lose your brain’s ability to take in information. And in addition to that you’ll experience social isolation.”

Social isolation is a major problem for seniors. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 11 million people aged 65 and older live alone. In fact, as people age, their likelihood of living alone increases. Children grow up and move away, sometimes a spouse or partner dies. Living alone does not necessarily mean you are isolated, but for seniors it puts you at a greater risk and that is a big concern, says neuropsychologist Dr. Naomi Rusk.

“Isolation is one of the main causes of health problems and premature death.” — Dr. Rusk.

A recent survey by the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging showed that 31% of older adults reported feeling lonely or isolated, and this should concern us all, says Dr. Rusk.

“One study says that loneliness is just about as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, which I actually thought was pretty interesting: just as dangerous as smoking 16 cigarettes a day. That gives us a context of the impact of loneliness on our actual physical health. So loneliness can affect all of these different systems in the body: heart health, cardiovascular health, mental health, depression and anxiety. It can exacerbate any mental illness we have, being alone and isolated. Just imagine you’re alone with your own thoughts. You’re alone with your own fears. You know, you’re not reaching out and you’re not being reached into either. It exacerbates mental illness; it causes, and it also perpetuates alcoholism and drug abuse. It affects our immune system. These are all systems affected by loneliness. So, we see this amazing interaction between feeling alone and the lack of purpose that you describe, and an actual impact upon our physical health. So, it turns out that loneliness isn’t just about whether or not you’re with people, because like you and I, we’ve all had that feeling of if you’re at a party, you could feel very alone. So, loneliness also has to do with not just how many people are around us, but how connected we feel when we’re with people. So, it’s important to notice inside ourselves: are we feeling connected to o...