Ep 1: Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Women of an Age
In this episode, we examine the experience of loneliness and social isolation across the lifespan, with particular focus on the last third of life. We discuss the affects of loneliness and isolation on the body, mind and community and the implications for self-care, healthcare, community development and resources and social policy.
Meet Our Guest Expert:
Louise Hawkley
Louise is a nationally recognized expert on loneliness and health during aging.
Louise is a field-leading expert on loneliness and social isolation and their associations with health during aging. At NORC, she leads research and analyses centered on identification of factors that increase risk for loneliness and individual and environmental sources of changes in loneliness. Her publications include more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.
Louise acts as a co-investigator on the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a National Institute on Aging funded panel study of health and social factors among older adults in the United States. Additionally, she is the Principal Investigator of NSHAP’s COVID-19 supplemental study, which ran from 2020 to 2021. She also consults on NIA-funded NSHAP-related projects that explore the role of social factors in the diabetes disease course and another that extends NSHAP into a nationally representative sample of LGBT older adults.
Louise is a member of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society on Aging. She is an international speaker and served as an expert witness for the solitary confinement case, Ashker v. Governor of California, 2015. Louise is a founding member of the International Loneliness and Isolation Research Network (ILINK), and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the national Foundation for Social Connection.
FAST FIVE: Additional resources on this topic
5 Ways to be More Social and Build a Tribe
1. Be a host:
Host a dinner party, a wine and cheese night, a firepit gathering, or a birthday for a friend.
Host a fundraiser for the Humane Association, Habitat for Humanity, a local arts organization, a candidate, or cause.
Host a group meeting such as a book club, bible study, neighborhood watch group, informational meeting about a community concern.
2. Take a class or lessons
Take a class on fitness, gardening, self-defense, cooking, technology, a second language, writing, finance, painting, history, pottery, environmental science, knitting. Train for a 5K charity race or walk with a group at the YMCA or fitness organization.
Take lessons and learn to golf, swim, ride a horse, ski, play poker, play tennis, dance, play an instrument, sing.
Take a class or attend a lecture at your local library, museum, historical site, nature center, university.
3. Join a group
Online groups such as Meetup have groups for every activity level and on every topic in most communities. There are groups for hiking, biking, walking, travel, gardening, visiting museums, jazz clubs, restaurants, going to the movies. There are also support groups including those for widows, seniors, and persons going through divorce. Meetup | Find Local Groups, Events, and Activities Near You
Join a sports league—golf, bowling, billiards, darts.
Get on a local arts board, hospital board, school board, community association board, library board.
4. Volunteer
Volunteer for organizations supporting something you care about such as the Humane Association or SPCA, an animal sanctuary, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a political party, your religious organization, a scouting group, a hospital, hospice or nursing home.
Become a tour guide or docent at a museum, historical site, nature center. Or, become an usher for your local theatre, symphony or concert venue.
Help a neighbor-someone with a disability or illness or supporting a family member with a disability or illness. Or, someone experiencing grief, divorce, or other hardship. An offer to mow the lawn, shovel, cook a meal, give a ride, run to the store or pharmacy, take a vehicle for an oil change or simply visit and listen is often very appreciated.
5. Travel
Travel with a group. AAA, Road Scholar Educational Travel & Learning Adventures | Road Scholar, religious organizations, and universities offer group travel that featuring a range of activity levels across the globe.
Invite a friend to for a road trip to organizations offering educational and self-improvement programs and optional social events lasting days to weeks. Explore the Chataqua Institution Home - Chautauqua Institution (chq.org), the Omega Institute Omega Institute (eomega.org), SMU Taos Cultural Institute Taos Cultural Institute (smu.edu), archeological fieldwork Fieldwork - Archaeological Institute of America.
Go on a day trip with your local nature center or wildlife refuge – learn about birds, raptors, wildflowers, fungi, tracking.
