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Exercising your “social muscles” is key to successful aging, say researchers

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Are you exercising your “social muscles”? Doing so may be key to longevity, say researchers, including Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson and alumna Mabel Ho, of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Both shared insight from their research on successful aging with the Globe and Mail.

From the article:

screen shot of Globe and Mail article titled How to Combat 'social aging'. Lead photo shows a older Black woman embracing a young child, smiling.As humans, we’re hard-wired for social connections. In fact, research shows that the opposite of this – loneliness – has a mortality risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Seniors are particularly at risk of isolation.

This phenomenon even has a name: social aging. It describes the deterioration in relationships and connections that can result from a combination of factors, such as a diminishing social circle, fewer opportunities for interaction and limited mobility.

Like the physical signs of aging, our social muscle can weaken as we get older, a consequence of the passage of time.

“As you get older, social aging has a greater effect on your life because you retire and you lose that social aspect,” says Robb Armson, site leader for Sunridge Place, an assisted living and long-term care facility in Duncan, B.C. “Your friends start dying. Your kids get busy and they don’t visit as often.” However – much like exercising to maintain our physical well-being – there are many ways to pro-actively forge and maintain social connections as we age.

“It is necessary to schedule regular meetings to make sure we stay in touch,” says Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging and professor at the University of Toronto.

Armson adds communication with loved ones is key. “Let them know if you need that extra interaction.”

Fuller-Thomson also highlights the value of intergenerational friendships. “Taking fitness classes at the local community centre, joining book discussions at the public library and volunteering in our community are excellent ways to establish new friendships,” she says. Hobbies, therapy, and community activities all offer ways to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

Mabel Ho, Fuller-Thomson’s colleague, a research affiliate at the Institute of Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto, echoes the value in that extra effort.

“It is important that we reach out regularly just to chat and connect, rather than waiting for them to call or visit us. Dropping by with a dinner or snack is a lovely way to keep connected and assure them that you’re available and eager to help.”

Read the full article by Jennifer Foden in the Globe and Mail.