For a while now it’s been clear that the devastation from COVID has come not only from a physical viral infection but also from the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation it’s caused, especially among older adults. We already know that isolation in older adults can lead to an exacerbation of such physical ailments as heart disease and high blood pressure, and can also take its toll on emotional well- being, leading to depression and other mental health concerns. We even know that memory and cognition can be damaged due to social isolation. So it probably comes as no surprise that when there is even modest social engagement, older adults seem to have better brain health. In fact, a new study out of the University of Pittsburgh reports just this finding.

Published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, this new study followed 293 community-dwelling adults, with an average age of 83, and used both brain imaging technology as well as the collection of detailed information about social engagement among the study participants. The findings were significant: those participants who reported a greater level of social engagement (everything from classes, to volunteering to in-person get-togethers) were also found to have more robust gray matter in the regions of their brains relevant to dementia. While the cause and effect are not completely understood (Is it that more engagement leads to better brain health or better brain health leads to more engagement?), the bottom line seems clear: Social interaction is an inexpensive and valuable way to help older adults prevent or limit the onset of dementia. To find out more, pull out your social calendar and click here.

Of course, during “normal” times, there’s little, if any, downside to direct and in-person social engagement. But right now, given the restrictions on in-person get-togethers and social distancing, that engagement requires more effort. According to a recent article in The New York Times, the elements of maintaining a friendship or relationship during this “quiet season” are harder but not impossible to sustain. Friendship expert Kat Vellos (author of the recent book Connected From Afar: A Guide for Staying Close When You’re Far Away as well as We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships) advises that sustaining a relationship requires such elements as regular interaction, compatible life outlooks, and shared commitment to being there for each other. While she also mentions close physical proximity as another important element, right now for many of us that’s just not possible. 

There is, however, a new easy-to-use online technology that’s been developed to specifically help adults over 70 socially connect and participate in virtual events. Called OneClick.chat, this new video-chat platform is being tested and refined, (including with financial support from the NIH) to better enable both long-time friends and new acquaintances to sustain friendships while still far away, warding off loneliness and allowing brain matter to stay robust and resilient. To find out more about this new platform, cue up your conversation starters, and click here.