How a Brooklyn Coalition Is Fighting Isolation in Seniors with Low-Tech Conference Calls

A Boston suburb combined its high school and senior center to create a hub for the community. The result has saved space and forged interesting friendships.

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s or similar illnesses, and that number is growing as the population ages - without any immediate prospect of a cure, advocacy groups have begun promoting ways to offer people with dementia a comfortable decline instead of imposing on them a medical model of care, which seeks to defer death through escalating interventions. An Arizona nursing home offers new ways to care for people with dementia.

Not all seniors need the various discounts they receive. The Boomerang Giving project allows them to donate back the difference of the discounts on things like movie tickets to a charity of their choice, benefiting not only a community cause but also their own mental and physical health. Various services also assist them in selecting and investing wisely in different nonprofits.

Cities tend to be dangerous and difficult places to live for older residents. A private public partnership in New York is catering to seniors through small changes in the city such as para-transit options and seniors-only hours at public establishments.

Living alone can be tough for seniors, for those without family nearby to check on them no one will know if they suffer a medical emergency. Hundreds of suburban and rural police agencies in the US are offering seniors a free automated phone call every day which they will follow up with a house visit if not answered.

LinkAges is a program by Palo Alto Medical Foundation focused on building a community of individuals from different generations to prevent social isolation. This program connects elders with social engagement at the end of their care.

The way cities are built in the United States makes getting around without driving a car difficult. This means that, for an increasingly aging population, mobility can be a significant issue, leading to challenges such as missed medical appointments and loneliness that can actually decrease lifespan. But in the age of the sharing economy, ride services such as Lyft and Uber reach out to the demographic that arguably needs them most, partnering with medical centers and hospice providers to get smartphone technology - or more "old school" alternatives such as hotlines - into the hands of senior citizens.

Slightly more than eighteen percent of the Dutch population is sixty-five or older and with this aging demographic comes new challenges. To combat the very serious risks that living alone and aging poses to seniors, the Netherlands has seen the rise of a new class: one that teaches elderly people how to fall.

The National Gallery of Art’s “Just Us” program brings seniors with memory loss symptoms to the museum for ‘meditation’ on paintings. Using the paintings as prompts, visitors are encouraged to react to and interpret what is before them mentally engaging them and providing an opportunity for socialization.

Some inner city schools, nonprofits, and businesses in New York lack the staff to make their organizations function for the people they serve. ReServe is a program that links retired professionals with part-time jobs in schools, libraries, hospitals and other city agencies to help fil this gap.