Focusing power of human connection during pandemic

Over the years, studies on the healing effects of human connection have grown tremendously.

We now know for a fact that people who have more social support tend to have better mental and physical health and live longer and happier lives.

In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that people with strong social ties tend to live longer regardless of their socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking, exercise or obesity. The researchers, who studied nearly 7,000 Bay Area residents, also concluded that themortality rate of men and women with fewer social connections was

2.3 and 2.8 times that of men and women who had more social ties.

A long-term study conducted on Catholic nuns from Rome’s School Sisters of Notre Dame found that positive emotions and human connection played an important role in their healthy aging. The nuns, who are already known to have unusual longevity and low incidences of dementia, lived in such a warm and close-knit community that their strong social connections contributed to living long and healthy lives.

Today, human connection is more important than ever as we battle COVID-19. We have all been affected by the pandemic in some way, and as we deal with the new normal, we are adjusting to a distinct way of life. Social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic is necessary and has obvious protective measures for health.

However, as we face long periods of isolation, more andmore people are realizing the significance of human connection and the impact it has on our health.

While it is clear that loneliness and isolation are bad for your health at any age, the forces that take hold later in life often compound it.

A recent survey of nursing home residents across 36 states released by the research organization Altarum found that residents are feeling a deep sadness and persistent loneliness impacting them daily. Residents expressed worry that their isolation is bringing on physical decline in addition to extreme emotional distress. One resident commented, “If the virus doesn’t kill me, the loneliness will.”

All this confirms the truly healing and life-affirming power of human connection.

The fact that human connection is a vital force that drives mental and physical wellness is a truth we have witnessed at Vivalon for years. We see it when we deliver meals to homebound older adults and to people of all ages who live with chronic or life threatening illness, who tell us how much they look forward to delivery days and the social interaction that comes with them. We see it when our caring drivers provide warm conversation along with a safe ride. We see it in the eyes of our members who, prior to the pandemic, came to our Healthy Aging Center every day because it’s a place where they feel engaged, connected, and enlivened.

We recently changed our name from Whistlestop to Vivalon. Rooted in the Latin word “viva,” meaning life, our new name underscores our belief that beyond our services of rides, meals, classes, care and advice, there is something more vital at work.

A ride is not just a ride; a meal is not just a meal; a class is more than physical exercise or learning something new. The force that powers our work is the energy that you feel when you receive human care and human attention.

It’s what happens inside you when someone knows your name, or remembers your birthday or makes an inside joke. It is a vital force of human interconnection, and it is profound.

The attention that the topic of loneliness and isolation is receiving because of the COVID-19 pandemic brings us hope that real change is on the horizon. We envision a near future where human connection is part of the very fabric of how we deliver care; a future where social interaction and means of accessing it will be medically prescribed, just like medication, exercise or a healthy diet.

Although we wish there was no pandemic requiring us to search for a silver lining, this glimmer of a new future is a silver lining worth shining a light on.

Aswe face longperiods of isolation, more andmore people are realizing the significance of human connection and the impact it hasonour health.