Pope Francis insists that visits to the elderly should be done by many, together and often, especially in these days when the number of the elderly have increased. “Social isolation and loneliness are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” Jacques Lee, a Toronto-based emergency physician, told Global News.
As Canada grapples with a rapidly aging demographic, experts are sounding the alarm on the increasing mental and physical health impacts of loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older people who make up a growing proportion of the population. A report by the National Institute of Ageing (NIA) released Tuesday found that around 41 per cent of Canadians aged 50 years and older are at risk of social isolation and up to 58 per cent in that age group have experienced loneliness. And this can have both mental and physical consequences. Read the full article by Global News here.
So this Christmas consider visiting the seniors in your parish community who may be feeling lonely or isolated during this season.
Here are some simple gestures to remember the elderly:
