It is an all too familiar story. “When Mom passed, we had Dad move in with us so we could be closer to him, and help take care of him. We both work during the day, but he enjoyed the peace and quiet at home. I don’t know how it happened; everything seemed to slip away from him faster and faster each day. Within 6 months, there was little of him left. His mind was gone, and nothing remains but the shell of who he was only a few months ago.”
[quote_right]Social connections can provide emotional support and warmth which is important but they also provide things like advice, making sure people take their medication and provide support in helping them to do things.[/quote_right]
Social isolation has long been known to be detrimental to an individual’s quality of life, but recent studies have linked social isolation and depression to significantly higher death rates, especially from previously unknown illnesses. In a study of more than 6,500 men and women in the UK age 52 and over, there was a 26% higher risk of death over the first seven years in isolation, as opposed to regular social interaction. Additionally, there was a significantly higher incidence of previously absent clinical depression, mood disorders, delirium, and other cognitive conditions. Even after factoring for all possible underlying conditions, social isolation was found to be the causative culprit behind the higher risk of death. There is now scientific evidence of what many of us have long believed; when an individual is left in social isolation, there seems to be a rapid onset of depression, which results in massive changes in brain and body chemistry leading to rapid decline in mental and physical health. Now that this is a documented fact, what can you do about it? Not everyone can be a full-time caregiver, or afford one to be with your loved one at all times. In a nursing home, one can be alone for hours, even days without social interaction with peers. There must be another answer and an affordable one as well.
Adult Day Health Care provides members a safe and caring environment along with social interaction, cognitive stimulation and physical activity, on a daily basis. In the published study the lead investigator noted, “Social connections can provide emotional support and warmth which is important but they also provide things like advice, making sure people take their medication and provide support in helping them to do things.” Experts across the UK and the United States have pointed to day programs as being the best possible solution to issues of isolation and supervision for anyone who cannot be at home by themselves on a full-time basis. The social interaction alleviates any isolation, thus preventing the onset of depression and other avoidable mental illnesses associated with the issue, and the professional and medical supervision ensure both the member’s physical safety as well as their cognitive involvement each and every day. The program at Centennial Adultcare Center meets all of the above criteria and well beyond to provide the care needed for your loved one. Call (615) 383-3399 or contact us today!