Loneliness is common among the elderly. A survey in Shanghai, China shows that13 of people aged 60-70 are lonely, and 60% are over 80. James and others, an American medical scientist, conducted a survey of the elderly for 14 years, and concluded that the probability of illness of solitary hermits is10.6 times that of normal people, and the probability of death is twice that of lovers. He made a nine-year survey of 7,000 American residents, and found that the mortality and cancer incidence of those elderly people who were lonely were twice as high as those of normal people, excluding other reasons. Therefore, alleviating the loneliness of the elderly is a social problem that cannot be ignored.
(1) reason
The possible reasons for the loneliness of the elderly are: ① being far away from social life after retirement; (2) Having no children or becoming an empty-nest family after children become independent families; (3) Being sick and inconvenient to move, reducing the frequency of contact with relatives and friends; 4 withdrawn personality; ⑤ Widowed.
(2) Performance
Loneliness and reduced social activities will make the elderly feel sad, depressed and often secretly cry and feel sorry for themselves. If they are weak and sick, the above negative feelings will be aggravated. Over time, the immune function of the body will be reduced, which will open the door for diseases. Loneliness will also make the elderly choose more unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking, inactivity and so on. Bad lifestyle is closely related to the occurrence and development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes. Some elderly people will become depressed and suicidal because of loneliness.
(3) protection
To get rid of the loneliness of the elderly, on the one hand, children and society need to work together to create opportunities for the elderly who have left their jobs but are still able to work and study. Children must sincerely care about their parents and fully realize the psychological crisis that empty nesters may encounter. Children who live in the same town as their parents should not be too far away from their parents' homes. Children who live in different places and are far away from their parents should not only entrust people to take care of their parents, but also pay attention to their spiritual support, go home to visit the elderly as often as possible, or often communicate with their parents by telephone. Widowed elderly people live alone and feel lonely, and their children can't take care of them for a long time. No one else can take the place of his wife. Children should support the courtship needs of the elderly. On the other hand, the elderly can also make efforts within their power. The elderly should participate in society, actively and appropriately participate in various activities beneficial to society and family, expand social contacts in the activities, and achieve a sense of security for the elderly, which can not only eliminate loneliness and loneliness, but also psychologically satisfy the sense of life value and increase the fun of life; You can also eliminate loneliness, cultivate a wide range of hobbies, tap potential, and enhance happiness and the value of survival by participating in the study in the university for the aged.