Mental Help: Impacts of Loneliness & Social Isolation in Older Adults

Dr. Cynthia Boyd (John Hopkins), Dr. Tracy Lustig (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine), and Dr. Carla Perissinotto (UCSF) will overview the mental health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. These senior experts will also offer strategies from an individual to a population health level to mitigate the impacts.

Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely(43%). People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, losing family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments.

In offering the Mental Help series, C2ST is pleased to partner with research experts and practitioners to provide support to specific communities such as the elderly, families, and professionals.

For more details and registration for this free event by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology, please click here.