The incessant marketing and busy-ness surrounding the holidays distracts from the fact that this can be a difficult time of year. Treacherous weather, cold and flu variants, feeling less energetic and vibrant: we’re all subject to the pitfalls of winter, but senior citizens are especially vulnerable.
The risks presented by icy, slippery weather and seasonal viruses are heightened for elderly people, who may experience the colder months of the year as a barrier to getting ‘out and about’ and doing normal activities like shopping or socializing. Cozy at-home activities like watching movies, cooking, and reading books can’t take the place of human connection; isolation and depression can set in quickly for older folks that live alone.
If there’s no nearby family member or friend to visit or check in regularly, in-home health workers may be the first to notice the marked decline in their client’s well being.
The good news is: it’s almost impossible to be isolated when you live with other people
Homemates are a means of insurance, making human interaction a part of your everyday life. Even the harshest of winter weather can’t get in the way of sharing a roof and creating a home with others. When extra time indoors is inevitable, having other people around to engage with readily, prevents me from getting too stuck in a gloomy frame of mind.
Homemates are also a readily available source of help. I know that it can feel difficult to make a phone call to a friend or family member when I am struggling. A phone call feels intrusive; I don’t want to impose on their busy lives.
But, since I cross paths with my homemates every day, it’s easy for me to mention in conversation that January has been getting me down. How have they been feeling?
It’s not just psychological matters but practical ones: I can’t count the number of times I’ve texted a homemate–or one of my homemates has texted me–because one or the other of us forgot something at the grocery store. Such small favors are intuitive, easy, and make the mutual parties happy to help one another out. I can’t remember ever feeling burdened or burdensome.
The Coming ‘Gray Wave’
Amidst my internet search for articles about the effects of isolation on older people…
I came across an especially worrisome NPR (National Public Radio) piece, “Housing industry struggles to help ‘gray wave’ of homeless seniors,” which presented some troubling statistics: researchers have estimated that, if continuing at the current rate, the number of homeless people aged 65 and up will triple by 2030.
The state of Montana has one of the fastest growing homeless populations in the country, and the article tells the story of one Montana resident, Kim Hilton, who moved into his truck at the age of 68 after the rent payments on the apartment he’d been sharing with his partner nearly doubled. Both relied on income from monthly Social Security checks, which wasn’t enough to cover the cost of exponentially rising rents in their area.
The article comes to a happy conclusion, with Mr. Hilton housed and his medical needs tended to. But his current situation came after several harrowing years of subsisting in his truck, a local homeless shelter, and the emergency room.
Every week, it seems, I encounter yet another terrible news story regarding America’s housing market. Namely: there isn’t enough housing, and what does exist is too expensive. Neither the Medicaid and Social Security programs that retired folks rely on nor the wages of working Americans are keeping pace with the increasing cost of living. Once people do become homeless, the shortage of affordable units makes it very difficult for local services to find them housing.
But! There is more good news
Shared housing, if not a ‘cure all,’ is certainly, in my experience, one of the best ways to combat loneliness and provide an affordable way to live. It’s also, arguably, how we are meant to live. The harsh conditions of winter are a good reminder of how human beings have always been one another’s best means of survival.
I’m glad that reporting by institutions like NPR is increasing public awareness about the risks facing elderly members of our communities. But I also wonder if articles that highlight worst-case scenarios do more harm than good.
It’s true that the healthcare and housing services currently in place might be overwhelmed and unable to fully help every person who is in need–the gears of bureaucracy can move slowly. In the meantime, we as individuals can empower ourselves to take action and help one another. We aren’t powerless victims, we are free agents who can seek out solutions to even the most daunting problems.
If you are seeking a more stable and connected housing situation, or just more human connection in general, you’ve come to the right place! Sharing Housing Inc. provides you the tools you need to find good housemates and create a comfortable living situation.
Image from www.freepik.com
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