Making Friends as a Senior – How to Develop Friendships as We Age
- Maintaining Old Friendships
- You’re never too old to make new friends
When we were kids, making friends was easy! We would play together in the morning, and be best friends by the end of the day. As we age, making friends becomes more challenging, not to mention social distancing from the COVID Pandemic. Here are some tips to making friends as a senior. Of course, forging new friendships during your golden years may require a little extra effort. As you get older, common life changes such as the loss of a spouse, loss of hearing or vision, retirement, and issues with health and mobility can take their toll on your social life and, by extension, your well-being. Loneliness has been linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline, dementia and depression. It also has been linked to heart disease, stroke and blood pressure. In fact, one 2015 study famously concluded that a lack of social connections was as damaging to a person’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.