HEALTH CARE | Aging Well AGING WELL A YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE s people age, they might find themselves wondering how to manage health and safety risks like potential falls or challenges with getting nutritious meals. As needs change, one may require help with personal care, medication management, household chores and more. Add to that feeling lonely and socially isolated, and the health risks increase. How do we make friends as adults, find supports that we need, and stay connected to others? Many people want to be surrounded by what is familiar. Older adults may not want to leave their home and move into an assisted living or skilled nursing facility, even though they need support to maintain independence with dignity and care. Thankfully, today’s older adults have resources available to help make aging in place possible. People can turn to Region 2 Area Agency on Aging as experts on all aspects of aging that are able to connect people to needed services in community. Examples include home-delivered meals, wellness programs, crisis intervention, and emergency preparedness plus referrals to senior centers for added socialization. In a report by the Center for Disease Control, loneliness and isolation puts older adults at increased risk for developing dementia and acts as a fertilizer for other serious medical conditions. The biology of loneliness is that it can accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries, causing a 29% increase in risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke. Experiencing loneliness and social isolation can make cancer cells grow and spread more rapidly. Loneliness also can promote inflammation in the brain leading to a 50% risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s. Social isolation is a lack of social connections, and we know that there are increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among those who experience a lack of meaningful connection to others, especially following the pandemic. Studies now show that the magnitude of social isolation and loneliness has a similar impact on mortality equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For people who live alone, are unable to get out due to mobility or transportation issues, or because they are tied to a caregiving situation that limits their activity outside of the home, social isolation may become seriously problematic. It is important that they know where to turn for help. Region 2 Area Agency on Aging not only offers help with services in the home and home delivered meals, they can also connect you to workshops that will help with chronic disease management, weekly friendly reassurance calls, and options counseling. If you are worried about aging well and feeling alone, you can talk to your physician about how you are feeling. You can also contact Region 2 Area Agency on Aging to speak with an intake and referral specialists who will understand your situation and be able to offer a variety of programs, classes, and resources. Call us at 517-592-1974 or go to our website www.r2aaa.net. You don’t have age alone. MARTHA YORK COMMUNITY EDUCATION COORDINATOR Region 2 Area Agency on Aging 40 • November 2022 / Field Notes / JacksonMagazine.com twitter.com/JacksonMagazine