One of our former professors who is in his 70s is an active pickle ball player. Both he and his wife have built quite a community of people around the game. Their pickle ball group meets regularly, socializes and basically does life together. The couple is active and vibrant and are on to something very important when it comes to aging. People need a social life. And we certainly saw the fall out of not having one during the pandemic.

When former Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, MD did his listening tour of America to hear what the number one public health concern was PRIOR to the pandemic, he was sure it would be cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Well, it turned out he was wrong. Loneliness was the number one public health concern. Loneliness impacts our health and mental health no matter what age we are, but it really makes a difference in older-aged people.

A new study  won’t surprise many of you, but is worth noting. It has to do with aging well. Based on thousands of participants from middle age to older age, healthy aging goes hand in hand with volunteering and recreational activity.  In fact, those who stayed active through volunteering, charity work or recreation were less likely to develop physical, cognitive, mental, or emotional problems.

This finding is so important that some medical doctors are actually prescribing these activities for their patients. So get off the couch and stop bingeing Netflix. Engage in something meaningful or something that will boost your health like exercise. Join a book club, a community choir, a pickle ball group, a gym, or volunteer  in your community with a food panty, a blood drive,  or serve meals at a homeless shelter. Find ways to volunteer at your church. Churches always need workers and you will be contributing to a meaningful community.

The point is, the more you take care of your physical body, the healthier it will be. And the more you take care of others through service and volunteering, you lift your soul and spirit. Serving other also gives purpose to your life. And alot of older people need to continue to find meaning and purpose. They need to know they are contributing.

So if you know someone who is struggling with aging, who is lonely, or needs to find purpose, get them engaged in both physical and service activities. Help them find a community to love and care for and feel needed. We all need this no matter how old we are!