Friendships Key to Aging Well

By Lynn Bunnell, Regional Community Life Manager

Humans are social beings who never outgrow the need for friendship. At any age, keeping connected with friends and loved ones is an important aspect of living well.

Simple social interactions like chit-chatting over lunch, playing card games or walking with a friend are important to maintain as part of daily living, especially as you age. The physical and psychological benefits of social engagement are well documented. Being social can:

• Add years to your life! According to a study conducted at Brigham-Young University, a strong social network is surprisingly more crucial to physical health than exercise. And friendships, whether those friends are near or far, increase one’s chances for a long, healthy life more so than children or other relatives.


• Keep you healthy! University of Chicago psychologist Jon Cacioppo, who studies social isolation as it affects the brain and body, finds it disconcertingly associated with illness—both mental and physical. Studies show that socialization can help prevent many illnesses and even stroke.


• Boost your brain power! Any social activity that engages the brain can delay or prevent memory loss, but interacting with those who are younger may be especially therapeutic. Dr. Sharon Arkin, a psychiatrist at the University of Arizona, runs a clinical program in which Alzheimer’s patients engage in exercise sessions with college students. Her program helps to stabilize cognitive decline and improve patients’ moods. So don’t just invite your teenage grandchildren over, see if they want to bring friends!

Overcoming Social Obstacles

As people grow older, social circles tend to grow smaller. There are fewer opportunities to interact socially after retirement, when grown children move away, if a spouse dies or friends get sick. Physical changes commonly associated with aging can lead to social isolation. Hearing loss can make phone conversations difficult, if not impossible, and vision loss can make driving a car unsafe. 

Some seniors today keep connected with the help of technology. They interact with grandchildren and out-of-town family and friends through e-mail and popular social media sites like Facebook. While sharing stories and photos online provides a sense of belonging and purpose, a face-to-face friendship can’t be beat in terms of its powerful well-being benefits.  Think about how good sharing an experience, a good laugh or a hug with a friend feels. More than producing a warm and fuzzy sensation, friendship can quite possibly add years to your life. Well, at the very least, it may help prevent you from getting the next cold or flu! 

An important part of life at Pathway senior living communities is the focus on making new friends and sharing life experiences with kindred souls. Whether practicing yoga, learning a new language or doing community service, any activity is enhanced by sharing it with someone else and new friends can join the circle of those who are already part of one’s life.

To learn more about Pathway Senior Living and our award-winning VIVA! program, find us at www.PathwaySL.com.