Surprising Study Finds Loneliness May Extend Older Adults' Lifespan
Originally Published 6 months ago — by Study Finds
A study of nearly 400,000 older adults receiving home care across Canada, Finland, and New Zealand found that lonely seniors had an 18-23% lower risk of dying within a year compared to non-lonely peers, challenging previous assumptions that loneliness increases mortality risk. The findings suggest that declining health may lead to loneliness rather than the other way around, and that home care services might provide protective social contact. While loneliness remains a serious issue for quality of life, these results indicate that the relationship between loneliness and mortality is more complex than previously thought.
