October 15, 2019 —By Frances Kolarek —
When an authority on poverty like Mother Theresa says, “Loneliness is the most terrible poverty,” it’s time to take notice.
Then along come some experts with a scientific explanation of why loneliness hastens death. It sends misleading hormonal signals, rejiggers the molecules or genes that govern behavior, and wrenches a slew of other systems out of whack. Long-lasting loneliness not only makes you sick; it can kill you, they say.
It’s easy to find heartbreaking accounts by adult children mystified because a parent has failed to thrive in spite of having been provided with a handsome apartment and visits by aides. Active in their own communities, the young fail to recognize that isolation from the companionship of the peer group is at the root of the problem.
Visits from relatives and children, all dutifully performed, are no substitute for understanding by a contemporary who offers the comfort of a withered hand hand on a withered arm.
In a retirement community, companionship with one’s peer group is commonplace. Among people who share the same problems and the same needs, instant and tacit understanding results.
Fortunately, the stigma of “nursing home” is slowly being lifted from retirement communities which offer a life style for the young old, the energetic who drive, even at night, as well as a stimulating environment for the less mobile. Collington provides residents with transportation to shopping centers, supermarkets, the theater and concerts. Residents are not ”cooped up” and isolated. Collington brings the world to their doorsteps.