News feed
Credit: Getty Images
According to a recent study in The New York Times, spending time with your mum can actually extend her life.
Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco found loneliness is a huge contributor to health decline in older people. The study assessed 1604 participants with an average age of 71-years-old and discovered those who were lonely held higher mortality rates as “loneliness is a common source of distress, suffering and impaired quality of life in older persons”. Nearly 23% of “lonely” people died within six years of the study compared to 14% of those who reported to have a companion.
“The need we’ve had our entire lives — people who know us, value us, who bring us joy — that never goes away,” said Barbara Moscowitz, senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“For a host of reasons, no one is addressing the individual’s daily needs — food, medication, medical appointments. The refrigerator is empty, but there’s no one to call. People suffer despair, humiliation.”
So there you have it, scientific proof you need to open the lines of communication with your mum (or dad or that special older person in your life) straight away. No one should be lonely.
