The Southeast Idaho Council of Government’s Area Agency on Aging is implementing a new program called “PRO Age Connections.” “PRO,” stands for Positive Relationship Opportunities. PRO Age Connection’s goal is to address and raise awareness about the crisis of loneliness and social isolation for our older adults in the community. We want our Pro-agers to thrive, not just survive. We want to respect, honor and celebrate PRO-agers in our communities!
40% of older adults admit to experiencing loneliness = 31% moderate and 9% severe. (This increases the risk for Dementia and Alzheimer’s.)
Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss. Loneliness is the feeling of being alone, regardless of the amount of social contact.
Socially isolated people are less able to deal with stressful situations. They're also more likely to feel depressed and may have problems processing information. This in turn can lead to difficulties with decision-making, memory storage and recall. People who are lonely are also more susceptible to illness.
Social isolation can have direct effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Perceived isolation and loneliness are associated with increased sympathetic nervous system activity, increased inflammation, and decreased sleep, all of which can accelerate brain and cardiovascular aging (Cacioppo, et al., 2011).
One study found that loneliness was associated with a 105% increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia.
How This Program Works: This program will kindly ask for volunteers to make a Friendly Call to the same “PRO-ager” twice a week, for a maximum of 30 minutes for each call, totaling 1 hour per week. This routine contact will provide a Friendly Connection, as well as address any unmet needs.
During the call, volunteers will address any needs that the consumer may have such as a need for groceries or medication. Those unmet needs will be directed to the coordinator, Gina Stucki to arrange for assistance. The volunteer will also document the interests and/or hobbies of our PRO-agers in order to develop conversations for the calls that follow. Volunteers will also be asked to keep a monthly call log, documenting the date and times of each call. This information will be turned in to Gina Stucki, PRO Age Coordinator. Contact information is: phone (208)233-4032, fax (208)233-4535, gina@sicog.org, 214 E. Center St. Pocatello, ID. 83204.
