Social media and virtual interactions have made staying in touch with family, friends, and even work colleagues easier than it’s ever been.
All it takes is a handful of words or a few minutes of virtual communication via a computer-generated platform.
But while it may be quick, easy, and convenient to interact online with loved ones and co-workers, genuine face-to-face human contact is vital for our well-being – and never more so than in the later stages of life.
New research conducted by the University of Toronto in Canada has reinforced just how important social participation is as we age.
The study which followed more than 7,000 middle-aged and older Canadians for approximately three years, has established a link between an active social life and healthy ageing once people reach 60-plus.
The findings published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health revealed that older adults who engaged in volunteer work or recreational activities, had a higher chance of maintaining excellent health over a three year period.
This latest research defined successful ageing as freedom from any serious physical, cognitive, mental, or emotional conditions that prevent daily activities, as well as high levels of self-reported happiness, and good physical and mental health.
The research team only included participants who were successfully ageing at the start of the study. The goal was to see whether social participation was associated with the likelihood that they would maintain excellent health.
Approximately 72% of these respondents who participated in volunteer or recreational activities at the start of the study were still ageing successfully three years later.
However, only two-thirds of those who were not participating in these activities were ageing successfully at the end of the research period.
After taking into account a wide range of sociodemographic characteristics, the researchers said the findings indicated that respondents who participated in recreational activities and volunteer or charity work were respectively 15% and 17% more likely to maintain excellent health across the study.
First author Mabel Ho, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW), said: “Although the study’s observational nature prohibits the determination of causality, it makes intuitive sense that social activity is associated with successful ageing.
“Being socially active is important no matter how old we are. Feeling connected and engaged can boost our mood, reduce our sense of loneliness and isolation, and improve our mental health and overall health.”
Being connected to one another socially is widely held to be a fundamental human requirement; as basic as our need for food, water and shelter.
Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to depression, poor health and an increased risk of early death.
Some medical professionals are now prescribing social activities for their patients. Called ‘social prescribing’, it is a non-pharmacological intervention that integrates primary care with community services. Social prescribing can be used to encourage older adults to engage in volunteering and recreational activities.
Senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Ageing and professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, commented: “It is encouraging that there are ways to support our physical, cognitive, mental, and emotional well-being as we age.
“This is wonderful news for older adults and their families who may anticipate that precipitous decline is inevitable with age. It is important for older adults, families, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to work together to create an environment that supports a vibrant and healthy later life.”
This study used a revised definition of successful ageing. The report’s authors said this was more inclusive than earlier research as it encompassed both objective and subjective measures of optimal ageing.
Most previous work on successful ageing has classified those with any chronic health conditions as not “ageing successfully”.
In the current study, respondents could still be classified as ‘ageing successfully’ if they had long-term illness, as long as they could engage in various daily activities and were free of disabling chronic pain.
The revised definition also incorporated older adults’ subjective perception of their aging process, and physical and mental health, as well as their self-reported emotional well-being, such as happiness and life satisfaction.
Most earlier studies had ignored the older adults’ subjective experience of ageing, the authors said.
