The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it a heightened awareness that loneliness can afflict anyone and that social isolation can be deadly to our mental and physical health. Previous United States surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, went so far as to call it an “epidemic.”
Per a recent survey of older Americans, the top causes of loneliness for that age group are:
- Lack of mobility or physical disability
- Memory loss (tied with) separation from family and friends
- Chronic health condition
- Recent death of a spouse or partner
- Worsening vision or hearing problems
Since as Americans we have made a huge demographic shift to urban living over the last 100 years, many homes simply do not allow bringing an elder in to live with family. Therefore, the alternatives for many individuals and family members are either having their elder age in place or live in a senior community. Other alternatives, like co-housing or homesharing, are promising trends, but are still very small.
Has Senior Living Changed?”
For many people, the image that pops up when they hear the term senior living is one of lonely people, many in wheelchairs, sitting idly in the hallway of a sterile-looking, white-walled building. Maybe that image is related to the nursing home where their grandmother lived for a time when they were children. Unfortunately, that reality does still exist in some places, but today that is not the norm and there are a wide variety of options that fall under the heading of senior living.
Encouragingly, more and more senior living options are being developed every year. In addition, there are now reliable rating agencies that can assist us in choosing the right senior living option — for ourselves or for a loved one.
How Does Senior Living Impact Loneliness?
U.S. News and World Report is one of the most recent entries to the ratings field. It recently surveyed older American and their families, asking about their challenges with loneliness and how the senior living experience had impacted their physical health.
In early 2025, U.S. News released the results of that survey with an overall conclusion that senior living communities reduce loneliness and improve senior health.
Senior living offers an opportunity to the mobility-impaired person to move about in safe places. It offers a community environment that can be accessed regardless of the extent of immobility. And it offers a level of transportation that might otherwise be inaccessible.
Memory loss is becoming more and more common as our life expectancy rises. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that it will increase to 85.6 years old by the year 2060. Since age is the strongest predictor of memory loss and dementia, it will become even more common in coming years. It is often untenable for families to shelter and protect an elder with memory loss.
Health conditions and the grieving process can be painful for older adults living alone and have the propensity to worsen if experienced in isolation. These conditions are extremely prevalent in the lives of older adults.
The U.S. News survey on seniors’ experience with loneliness asked residents who were recent entrants to a senior community, as well as their families, about feelings of loneliness both before and after moving in to the community. The results were conclusive:
- More than two-thirds (69%) of seniors felt lonely a majority of the time (50% of the time or more) before moving into a senior living community.
- Fewer than half (42%) of seniors felt lonely a majority of the time after moving into a senior living community.
In comments, the survey respondents added other positive impacts of moving into senior living communities.
- 61% say their feelings of loneliness or isolation improved after moving into a senior living community.
- 65% say it has been easy to meet other seniors since moving into a senior living community.
- 85% of seniors have made friends since moving into a senior living community.
Opinions From Multiple Levels Of Senior Living
The survey participants included 360 U.S. adults and family members, age 55 and older, who moved into independent living (55%), assisted living (22%) and memory care (23%) within the last two years.
Though valid for elders with family members, the statistics likely hold true for solo agers (those who do not have children or other supportive family members) as well. In fact, senior living should be even more appealing to solo agers, since they do not have the support that aging-in-place often requires. That support and the associated cost is often overlooked by those who are determined to stay in their homes.
Certainly, there is no one choice that is right for all older adults. However, with the recent growth of senior living choices, that option seems worth tracking and understanding in the communities where we live.
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