subject: When People Die Of Loneliness [print this page] No one ever wants to be lonely, but some people do not really have a choice in the matter. People in prison, professionals assigned to secluded locations, and the very ill are all prone to the effects of loneliness. However, few people risk dying from loneliness as much as the elderly.
"Dying from loneliness" may seem like a tragically quaint idea, more suited to the Victorian age than anything remotely from the age of scientific discovery. However, it is precisely scientific research that suggests a link between loneliness and early mortality, and the findings are nothing short of remarkable.
With the use of a genetic "chip", researchers at the University of California found out that people who were in the grip of chronic loneliness were far more likely to suffer from impaired immune system functioning than their peers who were in an otherwise healthy emotional state. Spearheaded by molecular biologist Steve Cole, the team discovered that loneliness, among other factors, had a significant influence on the behavior of certain cells. In particular, white blood cells-which are essential components of the immune system-showed signs of abnormally active behavior in people who where lonely.
Cole and his team further established the link between loneliness and chronic inflammation, and that it is this condition that caused the abnormal functioning of the cells in the first place. This research represents one of the most significant and ground breaking discoveries that would explain the possibility of dying from loneliness.
What does all this mean for the person who is dying of loneliness? And more importantly, what can his or her family do about it? The human body is a vast mystery even to this day, and it is only fairly recently that science has made any significant inroads into determining the possibility of death by loneliness. However, many of the methods that we can employ to prevent or alleviate the situation have been in existence ever since the dawn of time.
Many ancient cultures place care of the elderly as one of the noblest responsibilities any worthy member of society has to face. Unfortunately, this responsibility has largely been neglected in this day and age of fast paced living and short attention spans. Fewer and fewer people are making an effort to care for their elderly, both physically and with regard to their mental and emotional well-being. The result is more and more of our elderly citizens living out the rest of their lives in quiet solitude in a nursing home. In a situation mirrored millions of times over all over the world, the prospect of death by loneliness becomes a very real possibility.
If you have an elderly member of the family, the proper thing to do would be to see to their needs as much as possible. This doesn't only mean assigning a nurse to them or making sure they take their medications at the prescribed time. If you really want to enhance their quality of life and reduce the risk of death by loneliness, you owe it to them to provide some of your quality time as well.
