Preventing loneliness during the holiday season
The holiday season, often portrayed as a time of joy and togetherness, can feel especially isolating for many older adults. Amid family gatherings, those who have lost loved ones, live far from family or face health challenges may find this time of year difficult.
“Loneliness is not about being alone; one feels lonely when they lack meaningful connections,” explains Pamela Elfenbein, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Healthy Aging at the University of North Georgia.
Loneliness is common among older adults. Data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging show that in 2024, 33% of older adults felt lonely some of the time or often. And it’s more than a psychological issue.
The health cost of loneliness
According to public health authorities, social isolation and loneliness have been linked to higher risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, weakened immunity, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety and even increased mortality.
Certain groups are more vulnerable to loneliness, according to Elfenbein. Widowed, divorced or childless individuals, and people who are physically isolated, may feel the pain of loneliness more acutely during the holidays.
Actions that can help
This holiday season, rather than simply extending invitations, consider how to purposefully engage older loved ones as active contributors rather than as merely attendees. Whether through baking, decorating, preparing a dish or wrapping gifts, shifting someone’s role from passive to active can make a big difference in their experience and emotions.
Elfenbein shares several practical, evidence-based strategies to help combat and prevent loneliness among older adults:
- Volunteer: Try shifting your focus outward, as structured volunteer programs can reduce loneliness. A 12-year longitudinal study found that older adults who volunteered more than 100 hours per year had about 45% lower risk of developing loneliness compared to nonvolunteers.
- Engage meaningfully: Extending an invitation is a great start, and family and caregivers should try to do more to involve older loved ones in planning, preparing and doing. Actively contributing lends agency, reduces passivity and strengthens belonging.
- Help find the right opportunities: Local organizations, faith groups, senior centers or lifelong learning programs can offer roles that align with interests and abilities. In Georgia, for instance, adults 62 and older can enroll in university courses through the University System of Georgia, according to Elfenbein.
- Meet people where they are: Whether someone is aging in place or in a senior living community, the prescription is similar: meaningful giving, involvement connection.
