by Susan Maples
Key Contributors to Living and Aging with Gusto
Last month Donna Comer highlighted one of our eight key contributors to living and
aging with gusto; that is, striving to maximize physical health. This month we’re going to
look at another key contributor: Being connected with family, friends and a broader
community.
There has been much written of late regarding loneliness, which to me is the anthesis of
connectedness with others. Loneliness has become a public health issue that has
resulted in former U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, launching in 2018, “ ‘the world’s
first ministerial lead’ to tackle loneliness.” Japan followed with a “Ministry for
Loneliness.” And, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey found, even before the pandemic,
that “loneliness affected about one in four U.K. adults.”
According to the CDC, loneliness has a significant impact on those individuals who are
not connected with others. Following are just a few of the many ways that loneliness
negatively affects our ability to live and age with gusto:
• “Increases the likelihood of mortality by 26%”
• Its effect on mortality is “comparable to the impact of well-known risk factors such as
obesity, and has a similar influence as cigarette smoking.”
• “Puts individuals at greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia” as well as makes
them “more prone to depression.”
• While the literature is sparse and more research is needed, current research indicates
that immigrant and LGBTQ populations “experience
loneliness more often than other groups” which can create a higher risk for
depression, anxiety and suicide.
On a personal note, the past two months have provided me with a dramatic opportunity
to experience the powerful impact of being connected with family, friends, neighbors
and a broader community. Often when we think about social connections we tend to
focus mainly on family and friends. For me, they are and were indispensable however
my recent experience, which follows, really made me more keenly aware of the huge
importance of community connections.
On January 10th my wife and I left for a long-awaited cruise vacation to Costa Rica,
through the Panama Canal, ending in Panama City. It was beautiful and fun until the
very end when I became terribly sick leaving me basically unable to function physically
or cognitively. My life was saved because of my wife’s (family) competence and
resilience in getting me back to Minneapolis alive after midnight on January 24th.
Another lifesaving component was our connection to the broader community of kind
and competent hotel, taxi and airport staff who literally carried me to whatever the next
destination was…hotel lobby, taxi, Panama City airport, plane, Atlanta airport, plane,
Minneapolis airport, Immigration, baggage, and finally the Long Term Parking ramp.
The next lifesaving action was, upon airport arrival, my wife’s decision to immediately
drive me to the Abbott NW Emergency Room. The ER staff (representing the broader
community) determined I was suffering from septic shock, pneumonia and major organ
failure and jumped into action to provide the final lifesaving component. As an aside,
Legionnaires’ disease, although not an absolutely definitive diagnosis was the most
likely cause of my medical symptoms.
While I don’t believe anyone wants to be in the hospital, particularly for two and a half
weeks, an unexpected result was that I became familiar with many outstanding Allina
doctors. Coincidentally, many of these doctors and residents staff my primary clinic. So
often we experience or hear about older individuals feeling invisible, particularly women,
in the larger society as well as by the medical profession. Because of their excellent
care and concern, these individuals have newly become a gift as part of my team of
trusted medical professionals…another example of an important connection to the
broader community…who not only see me on an outpatient basis but actually seek me
out when I’m with one of their colleagues just to check in and see how I’m doing!
During my hospital stay as well as since then, the support, comfort, help and kindness
from family, friends, neighbors, faith community and my AWG friends and
colleagues have been absolutely invaluable and life-affirming. When I think about all
the people in this world who suffer from loneliness and a lack of connection with other
human beings, I feel very blessed to be able to experience, write about and emphasize
the importance of this key contributor to living and aging with Gusto.
If this key contributor is missing or underutilized in your life and you’d like to enhance it,
this might be the perfect time to assess your connections with friends, family and the
greater community and please, for your own mental and physical health, Connect,
Connect, Connect. The Gusto will overflow as your life and health are
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