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Doing Your Part to Combat Ageism

Posted on by dekiss4

My last post, Exploring and Overcoming Your Own Biases, reflected upon implicit or unconscious biases, how they are engrained in our brains, and how we can begin to overcome those biases – intentionality, learning about yourself and your biases, and putting yourself in uncomfortable spaces with the goal of learning and growing.  I encourage you to take a few minutes to read that before continuing this post.

On to ageism…

Put simply, ageism refers to assumptions made about people based on how old they are. In my field of work, aging, the term ageism is typically directed at how we discriminate against and treat older people differently than those that are younger. However, ageism can be present no matter one’s age and is also prominent against youth, teens, and “those kids these days.”

Regardless of one’s age, ageism can have significant impacts on one’s physical and psychological health and well-being. In the context of older adults, individuals who internalize ageism – or think that they can’t do certain things or act certain ways because of their age – are shown to have significantly shorter life expectancies, reduced access to health care, and higher rates of depression, to name a few.

More broadly, ageism can have considerable impacts on society, as well. Research shows that 1 in 7 dollars spent on the mostly costly medical conditions in the US can be attributed to negative effects of ageism; that’s approximately $63 billion in health-related costs to older adults. You can read the summary of that study here.

Ageism is a large area of study and there are a myriad of implications that could fill a book. Alas, let’s move on to a few ways we can contribute to combatting ageism.

  • Work toward changing your responses and reflect. Be mindful of your actions toward older adults – even if that’s yourself! Every time you have an interaction with an older adult, step back and reflect on that interaction. Did you treat them differently than you would someone who is younger than them? Did you treat them the way you would want to be treated as an older adult? What could you do to improve any ageist biases that slipped into your interaction?
  • Take a walk in someone else’s shoes. Think about what it would be like to be an older adult who is stereotyped. How would that make you feel and what can you do to make sure you are limiting that in our own behaviors and actions? Practice empathy – it makes a world of difference.
  • Purposefully increase your exposure older adults. When we surround ourselves with people who are different from us, we learn more about others and ourselves. Interact with more older adults, even if it’s just saying hello in the grocery store or going out of your way to have more meaningful conversations with older adults in your life. Perhaps you can even get involved in volunteering in long-term care facilities (when it is safe to do so), serving meals to homebound older adults, or engaging in other service projects such as mowing an older adult’s lawn, fixing their stairs, or shopping for their groceries. There’s so much we can do to increase our exposure to people who aren’t like us and help them out in the process.

These are just three ideas of how we can begin to reflect on ageism and begin to make a difference. Call to action: Give one of these a try.

Health Means…doing your part to combat ageism.

Contributor: Erin Yelland

Placemaking Benefits Rural Communities

Posted on by dekiss4

Every third Thursday of November, National Rural Health Day (NRHD) is celebrated by state health directors, local health leaders and advocacy groups as a time to recognize that “. . . small towns, farming communities and frontier areas are places where neighbors know each other, listen to each other, respect each other, and work together to benefit the greater good” (https://www.powerofrural.org/).  Another statement explains that National Rural Health Day honors the “selfless, community-minded spirit that prevails in rural America.”

These words conjure up memories of my childhood visits to a cousin’s dairy farm south of Salina for home-cooked dinners each Thanksgiving.  They also remind me of being on my uncle’s Iowa farm where, following a Veteran’s Day cookout, I joined family members on a walk around the property and talked about the price of feed for his hogs. I now wonder how those places continue to contribute to the people who now rely on them for income, safety, identity, and connection to rural communities. I wonder how places like these and others contribute to health and well-being of people who choose to live in rural places.

Health Means…placemaking.

A number of reputable reports reveal that persons living in rural areas generally have poorer health than do people living in urban places. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that, of the nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population living in rural areas, there are clear differences in health between rural and urban residents. People living in rural places are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than those living in urban places.  Unintentional injury deaths are approximately 50 percent higher in rural areas than in urban areas.  The fact that residents in rural places tend to be older and sicker than their urban counterparts contributes to poorer health outcomes in rural locations (https://www.cdc.gov/ruralhealth/about.html). Inconsistent access to health care due to distance, lack of transportation, inadequate housing, limited employment opportunities, questionable health insurance coverage, stress associated with farming and ranching professions, and high rates of COVID-19 transmission have been shown to lead to poor health among people living in rural places.  These social and economic determinants are not corrected with “one size fits all” solutions in places that are populated by conscientious and caring rural residents. What anchors people in these places that can test resilience generation after generation? Some of the explanation is the “place” itself and opportunities for intentional placemaking that is beneficial for all rural people.

Placemaking is typically associated with efforts to improve urban community’s walkability, safety and access to services. Urban planners spend much time and resources planning green-space, attractive venues and access points so that urban dwellers feel a sense of community and have places where they can reduce stress and improve personal health. However, placemaking benefits rural communities too. Supporters and funders of rural development understand the importance of place and its influence on the health and well-being of everyone. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes that health improvements are linked to placemaking in rural places. This spring, USDA made $3 million available through the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC) to foster placemaking initiatives in rural communities.

 

(Click on the image for more details.)

According to USDA, ”. . . placemaking is the process of creating quality places where people want to live, work, and play with the goal being to create greater social and cultural vitality in rural communities aimed at improving people’s social, physical, and economic well-being,” (www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/initiatives/rural-placemaking-innovation-challenge). Communities could apply for funds to help create and sustain accessible and welcoming public spaces; broadband capability; transportation options; multiple housing options; preservation of historic structure; green space, recreation and respect for the arts, culture and all community cultures.

Contributor: Elaine Johannes

Passionate about placemaking? Let’s talk! Connect with Elaine in the comments or via email. A list of some of the best strategies is available at Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org/article/grplacefeat).

Pregnant Women and Their Babies Benefit from COVID-19 Vaccines

Posted on by dekiss4

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the hesitancy of pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine seemed especially understandable. Pregnancy is a time of questions, and concern for the health and well-being of the baby is paramount. And, initial COVID-19 vaccine trials excluded pregnant women, because evidence-backed guidance lagged. At that point, questions outnumbered answers.

But safety data grew as time passed, because many women who did enroll in the vaccine trials were pregnant, though they didn’t know it at the time. “So we do have original data from those women as well as studies that are ongoing specifically in pregnancy,” said Eva Pressman, M.D., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “We have registries of more than 140,000 women who received the vaccine during pregnancy and reported information about their outcomes,” Pressman said in a September 2021 interview.

Pregnant women are considered a high risk group for severe COVID-19 illness. As experience with the vaccine increases, new data are available and the current advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, is that vaccination does not increase the chance of miscarriage. Though the vaccines are relatively new, the science – and numbers – support their safety.

“We now have information from hundreds of thousands of pregnancies that the COVID vaccine does not increase the risk of birth defects or pregnancy complications like preeclampsia or pre-term labor. On the contrary, COVID infection has been associated with increased risk of pre-term labor, preeclampsia and miscarriage. We know that the vaccine is much safer in pregnancy than the disease itself,” Pressman, a high-risk pregnancy expert, said.

Realization of the dangers of coronavirus infection during pregnancy has evolved, and in August, the CDC officially recommended that all pregnant persons, those thinking about becoming pregnant and those breastfeeding get vaccinated against COVID-19. Other groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommended the vaccination weeks earlier. The World Health Organization (WHO) states they have “no reason to believe there are specific risks that outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women.”

Only about 31% of pregnant women ages 18 to 49 had been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of late September, according to CDC. From January 2020 to late September 2021, CDC reported over 125,000 cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women, resulting in more than 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths. The delta variant is reported to result in even more severe illness in pregnant patients. As safety data increase and the numbers of vaccine requirements go up, practitioners and health organizations believe it is likely the rate of those vaccinated during pregnancy will also increase.

The decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine should be a shared decision among a woman, her care partner(s) and medical provider(s). The conversations can be life-saving.

For more information from CDC on COVID-10 vaccination while pregnant or breastfeeding, visit bit.ly/covid19pregnant

Health means…pregnant women and their babies benefit from COVID-19 vaccines.

Contributor: Sandy Procter

Sources

American Public Health Association. Pregnant women urged to get COVID-19 shots. In the Nation’s Health, Nov/Dec 2021, p. 1. Available online at www.thenationshealth.org.

Boynton, Emily. University of Rochester Medical Center. September 9, 2021. Is the COVID vaccine safe for pregnant people? What about when you are breastfeeding? Accessed online at urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/is-the-covid-vaccine-safe-for pregnant-people retrieved on November 3, 2021.

Turning the Telescope

Posted on by dekiss4

Hope makes a life worth living. Kathryn Britton conducted an interview she entitled, “Looking in the Right End of the Telescope.” We know how difficult life the past 2 years has been. It is so easy for us to look in the telescope from the wrong direction only to have our world shrink until it becomes unbearable in its smallness. Loss of hope is like that. Without hope our view shrinks until we see only the boulder in the road impeding our journey and very little of the world around us. Not to mention an alternate path around the boulder.

Hope is essential to growth, health, and happiness. An internet search on the impact of hope on wellness reveals multiple studies which demonstrate the health benefits of hope. So how then do we travel from helplessness and hopelessness to hope? Victor Frankl notes in his writings that the human spirit is defiant in its ability to endure hardship and tragedy. This explains why humans can defy the odds and survive and often thrive, even in difficult situations. But what happens when we lose hope? How do we turn the telescope around to see bigness and not a singular focus on our immediate surroundings? Enter into this picture, family, community, church, VFW, friends, school, clubs, self-help books, professional helpers etc., etc., etc.!  Our job is to provide hope. Even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant act can begin the process of turning the telescope around to provide an open, clear view of the world. A smile, a word of encouragement, a letter, a phone call, a cup of coffee, and sometimes a visit with a trained professional can change that view.

Health means…caring enough about the people around us to become knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of depression and anguish, and then having the courage to have a difficult conversation about hope.

Contributor: Brad Dirks

Kansas State University Research and Extension, and many other organizations, has opportunities for training in recognizing and understanding the struggles that lead to the act of suicide. QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), Mental Health First Aid, and Farm Stress are Michigan State University Extension programs that are available to help us as we provide hope in difficult times. For more information on these and other available programs, contact: Rebecca McFarland (rmcfarla@ksu.edu), Rachael Clews (rclews@ksu.edu), or Brad Dirks (brdirks@ksu.edu) for more information.

Prepare to Protect

Posted on by dekiss4

Disasters and public health emergencies can happen at any time. National Preparedness Month, recognized each September, provides an opportunity to remind us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families now and throughout the year.

Emergency plans may need to look different this year than in past years. Consider how COVID-19 may change how you react to a disaster or other emergency and make a plan with your loved ones. Prepare and plan for surviving on your own after a disaster. Current recommendations are to plan for several days without electricity, water service, access to a grocery store, or local services.

Ask yourself:

  • What will you need?
  • Where will you go?
  • How will you get there?

Make a family communications plan that includes important phone numbers so your family can stay in contact before, during, and after a disaster. Know where to gather. Teach children what to do in an emergency if they are at home or away.  Topics to review with them include:

  • Sending text messages
  • Emergency contact numbers
  • Dialing 9-1-1 for help

We have come to depend on smart phones and tablets. Be tech ready with emergency charging options for phones and other mobile devices. To conserve energy when needed, practice changing the settings on your phone to low power mode and putting it in airplane mode.

While we don’t always connect preparedness with health, being prepared for disasters, disease outbreaks, and medical emergencies is an aspect of being healthy. For more on how individuals and families can be better prepared ahead of disasters, visit the Prepare Kansas blog and ready.gov.

Health means…having an emergency plan for disasters.

Contributor: Elizabeth Kiss

Universal School Meal Programs

Posted on by dekiss4

Hungry children can’t learn. They are less likely to excel, achieve, and succeed. Hungry children are more likely to be overweight or obese – the science supporting this paradox is plentiful and clear. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 13 million children in the U.S. lived in food insecure homes at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A universal school meals program could ensure that every child has access to free nutritious meals at school, after school, during the summer and at child care through the child nutrition programs.

Why are universal school meals needed? Already-established programs, such as the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program, provide funding and support to school districts to serve nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and afterschool snacks. But there are gaps – many children who need free or reduced-price school meals are not enrolled or certified to receive them. Other existing supports, such as the Afterschool Nutrition Programs and the Summer Food Service Program, provide much-needed meals to some children outside of school hours, but too many kids miss out. Only 1 in 7 low-income children who participated in school lunch during the school year were able to receive a summer lunch in July 2019, and only half of that number were served afterschool suppers in October 2019.

Communities can also benefit when universal school meal programs are implemented. Schools would no longer have to struggle with the double-edged issue of unpaid school meal fees added to polarizing, and sometimes stigmatizing, policies designed to feed hungry children when gaps between need and compliance arise.

As part of COVID-19 pandemic relief, the USDA extended the universal free lunch program through the 2021-2022 school year. Bill sponsors believe that now is the time for universal meals to become a permanent reality, and they will work for the inclusion of the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

What does the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 propose?

The proposed six key changes each take a major step in removing barriers and increasing children’s access to healthy meals at no charge to them or their families.

  • School breakfast and lunch provided at no charge to all children. Not only would many more struggling families quality for free school meals, stigma would be reduced as all children would be served without regard to ability to pay. Many (reportedly 75% before the pandemic) school districts would be relieved of a significant financial burden.
  • School breakfast and school lunch reimbursement rates would increase to rates recommended by the USDA in their April 2019 School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study.
  • Afterschool and summer meals and snacks provided free of cost to all children no matter what percent of children in the area would be eligible for free or reduced price meals. The Act would also expand the number of daily meals eligible for reimbursement during the summer, on weekends, and during school holidays to the current number now allowed on a regular school day.
  • Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) expanded to all low-income children. Families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals would receive a debit card preloaded with a monthly benefit of $60 per month per child to purchase food during summer months. This targeted proposal allows flexibility, and has been shown to be very effective in reducing very low food security in low-income families. It could be especially helpful in rural areas where access to summer meal sites may be lower.
  • Child care meals expanded and reimbursement rates increased to child care sites. The maximum number of allowed meals per day would increase from two to three for child care centers and homes, ensuring that children’s nutritional needs are met while they are in care.
  • Local foods incentive offered to schools purchasing at least 25% of foods within state lines or within 250 miles of the purchasing School Food Authority. The 30-cent per meal reimbursement would strengthen the connection schools have with their communities and local food producers.

Health means…reducing childhood hunger through Universal School Meals Programs.

Contributor: Sandy Procter

Learn more about the federal legislation that has been introduced in the Senate and the House.

 

 

 

Exploring and Overcoming Your Own Biases

Posted on by dekiss4

Ahhhh, bias. It’s all the rage! Everyone is doing it! The problem is, bias can bring severe negative consequences and, sometimes, we don’t even know we’re doing it. That is called implicit bias (also called unconscious bias).

Implicit biases are the unconscious beliefs we hold about various social and identity groups. They are ingrained in our brains, oftentimes so invisibly that we don’t even know they’re there. What makes it worse? Those unconscious beliefs are quick to come to our brain; they’re natural, they’re embedded, and we have been conditioned to make assumptions based upon certain criteria. To give an example of just how quickly these unconscious beliefs and associations happen, answer this. If I say peanut butter, you say ____? Jelly. Right? In my personal culture and history, I am conditioned to associate peanut butter with jelly. Many of you may be, too.

Unfortunately, the associations we make as a result of our implicit biases aren’t as harmless as peanut butter and jelly. Here are some examples (buckle up, it’s not pretty).

  • Images of black men and boys are immediately associated with violent stereotypes (see this article).
  • Obese individuals are “weak, sad, and lazy fatties” (I’m not kidding, see this article).
  • Terrorists are associated with photos of Arab-Muslims, but rarely White people (see this article).
  • And older adults? Well they’re “senior citizens” that are “vulnerable, often lonely, physically and mentally impaired, and old fashioned” and “too old to matter” (see here and here).

Here are some more facts about implicit bias. First, the influencers of bias are everywhere; metaphorically, they’re in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Influencers of bias can include media, your upbringing, culture, things you see, words you hear, and experiences you have. Second, these biases are held by everyone. No one is immune to having bias (and if you think you are, then you have blind spot bias). Third, we have a lot more unconscious biases than conscious biases; meaning we are unaware of the majority of our biases. And last but certainly not least, your actions do not have to match your implicit biases. How?

Intentionality. What distinguishes our implicit biases from what we believe and how we act are the intentions that we have. Implicit biases and conscious actions are like a head of broccoli to me (it’s a weird metaphor, just go with it). I strongly dislike the broccoli stalk, but I love the florets. That stalk is the foundation upon which my thoughts, ideas, and actions are formed. My foundation is strong and may be just as gross as a broccoli stalk, but my thoughts, ideas, and actions don’t have to match that foundation. My thoughts, ideas, and actions can be what I want them to be (those yummy florets!) by taking that foundation, learning from it, and intentionally choosing to not internally or externally express those biases. I’m going to intentionally compost that stalk and enjoy those delicious florets. That’s intentionality.

Moving on from the broccoli…

And now, a call to action. I encourage you to take an Implicit Association Test from Harvard University; you can find the tests here (there’s lots, take them all!). Take your results from that test and set aside some time to critically think about your results. How does the result make you feel? What history or experiences might have led to you having that result? Identify those influencers. And finally, make a goal for yourself. Maybe you will read a book to learn about someone who isn’t like you or spend time with people outside of your usual social circle. Maybe you will consciously work on changing the stereotypes you have; commend yourself when you do well and give yourself grace when you mess up. Or maybe you’ll work on seeing people as individuals, and not their color, identity, religion, appearance, or any other defining factors. There are so many things we can do to keep that nasty broccoli stalk at bay (that’s the last broccoli metaphor, I promise).

Health means…treating people as individuals to enhance overall health and well-being.

How will you address your own implicit biases? Let us know in the comments.

Contributor: Erin Yelland

Early Childhood Care and Education

Posted on by dekiss4

This week’s post comes in the form of a vlog* and is from contributor Bradford Wiles. Scroll down for a transcript of the audio.

Health means…increasing the proportion of children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs.

*According to Merriam-Webster, a vlog is a blog that contains video material.

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, my name is Bradford Wiles and I’m an associate professor and Extension specialist in early childhood development here at Kansas State University.

And here on the health means blog today, I’m going to talk a little bit about what might be coming down the pike for early childhood care and education and how that will bolster the health and well-being of our communities. And so what we see in the funding for early childhood care and education, the American Rescue Plan give us a really nice cash infusion of around $348. million. And those are split between essentially recovery grants and sustainability grants and I talked about those in the last blog post so please take a look.

But what I’m going to talk with you about today on the policy side of things is also around the legislation that is slated to be voted on in the House and the Senate and the primary one is the Childcare for Working Families Act, and this is legislation that has been brought to the Senate before. It did not pass but typically we see that, where initial bills don’t always get passed but it takes two or three times to get them there.

And one of the things that they focus on is reducing the fiscal burden for families, the proposal is 7% but the Health and Human Services has the barrier around 10% so I imagine there’s some flexibility there between what they will propose and what they might be able to get through.

But for context. Families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level are spending about 35%, on average, for childcare, when 10% should be the max. Families that are 200 to 400% of the federal poverty levels are spending about 14%, and then you only get to the 7%, if you’re more than 600% of the federal poverty level which is around $150,000 per household. And so we can see that that would make a significant difference in the availability of funds for low income families or even low and middle class families.

Another element is to increase the wages for early childhood care providers that are essentially in line with public school workers.

This makes a lot of sense they’re essentially credentialed almost the exact same way, and have similar levels of training for in-classroom teachers.

They’re also focused on the quality insurances, you know quality integrity or quality rating systems. And of course, increasing the supply as the demand far outstrips supply in our state and many, many others.

And finally, they’re really interested in expanding preschool care so three to four year olds through the state public education system. And so we’ll see where those things go, but it seems quite likely, it seems to be a shared agreement with the Congress and the house that childcare is an important investment in America, and we know that there are health consequences and health outcomes that come from access to high quality, affordable childcare, that are not just the individual who’s receiving the care but also the families themselves.  So you know as you can imagine the stress level is reduced when one has access to quality affordable childcare. And of course, there’s the added benefit of the academic education and the social and emotional experiences that young children get in high quality childcare.

So, to me, health means access to quality affordable childcare as a function of individual family and community health.

Home Sweet Home?

Posted on by dekiss4

Whether we rent or own our homes, where we live is important to us. Housing costs are typically our largest monthly expense. The old rule of thumb of not spending more than 25% of income on housing is no longer realistic.

Housing burden refers to the percentage of income households spend on housing costs. Those who spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing costs are considered to be cost-burdened. Those who spend more than 50% of their incomes are described as extremely cost-burdened.

Many prefer to own their home rather than rent for financial or investment reasons. Home ownership is associated with economic stability and can be a means to build wealth. For mortgage owners, housing costs include mortgage payments, property taxes, utility costs, and other fees. When these housing costs are high, households are at risk of foreclosure and homelessness if costs increase or income declines.

There are situations when renting is preferred to owning a home. The flexibility of being able to move at the end of a lease and not having to deal with maintenance and repairs are advantages some renters prefer. Rent, utility costs, and other fees are all considered housing costs for those who rent. Households with high rental housing costs are at risk of eviction and homelessness if rents increase or income declines.

Current data indicates that 21.6% of households in Kansas were considered housing cost burdened in 2018. The percent of owner-occupied households in Kansas considered to be severely cost burdened increased from 4% in 1990 to 6% in 2017. Over the same period, the percent of renter households in Kansas considered to be severely cost burdened increased from 16% to 19%.

This is important because when housing costs exceed 30% of income, money for other things, such as healthy food or health care, may be tight. Putting money aside for emergencies or investing for future needs like children’s education or retirement becomes a challenge. Health can be impacted – increased stress, mental health problems, and increased risk of disease are linked to not having enough money to pay for household needs.

The positive news? The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation is currently conducting a statewide housing needs assessment survey. Community members and stakeholders are invited to share their feedback. Access the survey in English and Spanish.

Health means…reducing the proportion of families that spend more than 30 percent of income on housing.

Contributor: Elizabeth Kiss

 

 

 

 

Health Means Being Together So Why Do I Feel So Alone?

Posted on by dekiss4

Other than the word unprecedented, the word that has stuck out to me this past year is the word isolation.  What an incredible paradox that we can live in a family, a community, and a country with large numbers of people surrounding us yet feel so alone!  In a time of increased connectivity with our exploding technology, we still experience isolation and loneliness.

The word isolation has a different meaning to each of us.  Some of us choose to live (and feel more comfortable) alone yet for most humanoids, isolation is often equivalent to loneliness – the experience of which can be painful.  Isolation comes in various forms, but it helps me to think of it in two general categories.  We can be socially (physical/geographical) or emotionally (feelings) isolated, or both.

Occupations such as farming, driving truck, or working from home (and a myriad of others) all have varying degrees of physical isolation built into a daily routine.  Many other factors including long-term disability, loss of hearing, lack of transportation, and financial struggles contribute to minimizing physical contact with others.

Emotional isolation is a subjective feeling and may not be dependent on physical proximity to others.  We can feel isolated in a large crowd or lonely in a small intimate family gathering. That experience of isolation is unique to each of us.  We have different needs, expectations and understandings of the world around us, so my experience and understanding of loneliness will be different from yours.  This feeling can be experienced as sadness, hopelessness, emptiness, and feelings of loss or just “feeling alone.” There is a real sense that “no one understands what I am going through” or “they really don’t care.”   These feelings certainly can be overwhelming and paradoxically, when we see others socially connected and enjoying human interaction, it may further heighten the feelings of isolation. There have been multiple studies that identify the connection between isolation and loneliness with a negative impact on physical health.  This includes (but is not limited to) being at higher risk for coronary disease and stroke and is associated with a significant increase in the risk for dementia.

We know that the stress and isolation associated with COVID-19 has taken a toll on the emotional health of every culture and people group and even more so with individuals who are in high-risk groups as previously described. I would like to further identify two specific groups of at-risk individuals.  Adolescents and the elderly have particularly experienced worsening isolation and loneliness in this time of COVID-19.  Teens who normally have an active social life have been limited in their social contact and older folks who are inherently limited in their ability to be physically active have experienced even worsening isolation. Hopefully with some loosening of the current restrictions these two segments of the population will experience improved social contact.  Until then, we can continue to encourage them to participate in relaxing activities, eat healthy foods, practice good sleep hygiene, and spend time with positive like-minded individuals.

Identify signs and symptoms in individuals who may be experiencing significant isolation:

  • Social withdrawal
  • Changes in sleep and eating habits
  • Increased substance use
  • Increased physical ailments/complaints
  • Swings of emotion (anger, anxiety, fear)
  • Diminished ability to make decisions
  • Pervasive (lasting) mood changes (sadness, anxiety)

Ways to manage your feelings of isolation:

  • Control or minimize exposure to social media (reduce negative input)
  • Seek out meaningful human contact with caring individuals (spend quality time – eating together, playing games, talking a walk)
  • Share your feeling with someone you trust (be vulnerable)
  • Work to make eye contact with others (leave your comfort zone)
  • Seek professional help (find a therapist you enjoy talking with)

In this unique time in human history, it is more important than ever that in a world focused on things, viruses, and politics, we focus on each other! Health means…increasing the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression.

Contributor: Brad Dirks

We look forward to connecting with you in the comments. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with #HealthMeans.