How loneliness takes toll on elderly

Experts said it is important that we offer companionship to those in need. Photo / Thinkstock

Loneliness saps pensioners' brainpower, a study has found.

Elderly men and women with solitary lives suffered more age-related mental decline than those who enjoyed lots of company, an Alzheimer's conference heard.

With millions of people aged over 65 chronically lonely, and many not even speaking to someone every day, experts said it is important that we offer companionship to those in need.

Previous research has shown that social isolation is more damaging than not exercising - and twice as harmful as obesity. The latest study, by Harvard Medical School in Boston, shows the effect of loneliness on the mind. Researchers put more than 8,000 men and women aged 65 and over through tests, including ones to measure mental sharpness, every two years for 12 years. Seventeen per cent admitted to being lonely at the start of the study.

Although the mind would be expected to slow down with age, the effect was accelerated by 20 per cent in the loneliest people, the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington DC heard.

Researcher Dr Nancy Donovan said: "Lonely people decline cognitively at a faster rate than people who report more satisfying social networks and connections.

"This is important to know as we develop treatments to enhance cognitive health and quality of life for older adults."

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said loneliness among the elderly was an issue "we can ill-afford to ignore". "As the numbers of older people increase the problem is set to get even worse - unless we do more to help older people to overcome it," she said.

- Daily Mail