Why do senior citizens get isolated from society?

Answer 1

Sometimes senior citizens WANT to get isolated from society. Think about this: when you were in school, you hung around with peeps your own age. As you went to work, you might have gravitated to other employees your own age to hang out with. Maybe you still hang out with some of your old school chum, especially people you might have gone to college with. I know I still do. Perhaps you go to church; don't you kind of hang out with people there your age with whom you have the most in common? I know lots and lots of older ladies and gentlemen, through volunteer organizations, and I don't feel they are isolated at all, in fact, I am really starting to appreciate how they congregate in "senior" living communities, etc. They are quiet, neat and social!

As for the elderly who live in residential situations (nursing homes and assisted living), it's not that they are being isolated from society on purpose, its that their personal health situations require different needs than those citizens who lead more active lives.

Answer 2

Well, I'm 67... so that qualifies me as an 'expert' I suppose.

When you get older you tend to trap yourself in a rut. You don't have to work any longer so there is no reason to get up and get moving early so you can go to work... so... it's easier to stay in bed and sleep late without feeling guilt.

I have developed a routine that keeps me moving and even out and doing things. In fact, I do so many things that I can't imagine how I ever got anything done before I retired.

Keeping my mind active is the most important thing to me. I have been studying advanced Spanish for several years and I try to play the guitar (trying to make the change to playing Flamenco) at least an hour a day, so that keeps the hands AND the brain working.

In the Winter, I go south. I have a Motor Home and leave around the first of October for somewhere warm and return about the first of April. I never go to the same place twice... just to keep from getting into a rut. I have friends on the Gulf Coast so I get in more sailing than I really want at times.

Perhaps some day I will become isolated from society, just like a lot of other old people... but it won't be any time soon.

In the final analysis it's ALL IN THE ATTITUDE.

Answer 3

This isolation from society is called disengagement and there are several reasons for it.

1. These persons have chosen to disengage and be alone. There are lots of different reasons for this. Among them are being single and not having a social structure that allows for this. Many times they are just plain unaware that there are other things that they can do socially. Some have no friends left alive and have not made new ones. Then, there are those that have overwhelming families, they just want a rest and disengagement is perfect, though their families don't seem to understand and immediately want to take them to the doctor to see "what's wrong" with them. This type of disengagement is a choice and should be respected. However, this disengaged person needs to be checked on several times a week for necessities and well-being. Because it is a choice, the person may, at some time, choose to re-engage with society and open up their life again. Sometimes it's just a matter of rest and healing, it depends on the level of activity the elder can tolerate physically and mentally.

2. Another way that elders get isolated from society is by design of family members or some caregivers who are not family. Many times this involves elder abuse and keeping them away from society insures that the abuse may continue. We see this today in the newspapers where children, relatives or caregivers are getting long jail terms for elderly abuse that has been discovered. This involves the abuse of finances, physical, mental and emotional responses. We have a responsibility to "stick our noses in where they don't belong" when we suspect that something like this is happening.

3. One other type of isolation comes to mind, that of those who are disabled and dependent upon the help of others. This is a separate type of isolation from #2 above. These elders do not necessarily choose to be this way, it may be a way of life due to disability. Some may not be able to get out and do those things they were able to do before disability struck. This is a huge change in lifestyle for them. Many times depression and stress loom large in their lives. These elders need visits from family and friends - and often. They need to know that just because they are "stranded in life with a disability", they are not forgotten. Many of these elders are located in nursing homes for rehabilitation and, sadly, they will remain. And, many do not give up on life. There are many disabled who re-engage at the first opportunity and again become those productive citizens that they were before disability struck. Disability does not mean the end of life as we know it for a great many of us, just a change in lifestyle, and it takes some acquisition of skills.

These are only a few of the reasons that some elders will isolate from society. There are more.

Answer 4

Not all seniors get isolated as others have said but as you get older so do your eyes and ears. Sometimes isolation just happens because you cant see well enough to drive or hear well enough to carry on a conversation and loved ones get frustrated trying to get Mom Dad grandma grandpa to go get hearing aids or get eyes checked. Sometimes isolation comes from financial difficulties also. There are a million reasons why this happens but there are also many ways to prevent it. We take my 84 year old mother who is wheelchair bound to the senior center weekly she always complains about going but enjoys it once she is there. We as a society are so busy we don't take time to stop and see if someone is becoming isolated because they just don't have anyone who cares enough to keep it from happening.

Answer 5

I think it is the way society feels in general about the older generation. Like they are not productive anymore.

We had 3 generations living in our house at one time. Two married, one got his own place, another died, and now its just me and my mom in a big old 4 bedroom house. I have a pet cat but she may be going to kitty heaven soon. : (

While not isolated yet, I can see how it can happen if you are a little hard of hearing or your sight is not as good (can't drive to places anymore) as it use to be. But it is up to the individual. My mother is 79, and she did not keep up with her friends. She watches a lot of TV. My sister and I take her out when we day trip together, and she enjoys that. But if we weren't there, she would be isolated. Energy drain as well as illness can also cause one to be isolated.

Answer 6

You have gotten a couple of good answers. My Aunt retreated after my uncle passed on and her son lived a long way away. I made a habit of going by to visit and check on her every week or couple of days. She welcomed the company, but didn't want to go out.

The neighbor of my parents has faced a totally different situation. Her husband has Alzheimers. She took care of him as long as she could, but she's not in good health. When she asked her children for help, they said no. She was finally forced to put him in a home. It's a nice place and he's very happy there, but everyone thought she was a traitor. As a result, she is isolated from her family and friends. My folks try to draw her out when they can.

Isolation occurs for a lot of reasons.

My parents, both in their mid to late 70's are still very active and outgoing. They have slowed down only a bit. My last visit had me helping my dad with some plumbing. My brother and I make sure we contact our parents often. We live a long way away, but the phone works fine. We visit every chance we get.

Answer 7

One reason is reflected in the question. We all get dumped into the same basket of apples. Then there are financial reasons for those who are outliving their retirement funds. The social belief that only youth has values must be thrown into the pot. Add to that a self-centered society and you have the picture.

This last is a particularly sore spot for me. My sister is in a "retirement center" a.k.a. Martha Stewart prison. One daughter and I visit her on a regular basses and there is a wheel chair bus that we can hire to get her out once in a while. The daughter is a widow with three school age children and cannot have her at home. Sis has a son in another state who neither writes or calls. A son in this state who visits on her birthday and Mother's Day because, "It's too painful to see her that way." There is another brother here in the state who when asked to visit her said, "Well I'll check my finances." and never showed up. This brother was a change-of-life baby and My sister was a second mother to him. I can tell you one thing, if anyone of them show up for the funeral shedding crocodile tears they are going to get an earful from me!

Thanks for letting me vent!

Answer 8

Well, as far as I know, senior citizens are still an integral part of society, they're not isolated. In my country, their voices and their words still hold weight in families. They are very much active and even seen in social gatherings and where families get together.

Answer 9

Certain seniors need help, yes. They need to have assistance if they have disabilities or what not, but certain ones are just given up on by their kids. They're put in nursing homes because their kids don't want to pay a bit more attention to them though they have a perfect mind. My great grandmother who was eighty was sharp as a whip but hard arthritis and diabetes. Some people would've decided that was enough to place her into a nursing home. We only placed her into one when she collapsed and had to spend over two months in a hospital, and we knew unless we got a nurse (which we didn't have the money for) we couldn't risk having her alone, and she knew it too. Other people don't want to deal with slowing their lives down a notch if they go out to eat or dealing with the stories of how "the old days" were. They're a representation of what's to come - a lot of people want to lock it away and not see it. Few people want to deal with it, and deal with rinsing "dentures in her water glass in any restaurant." (And, fyi, my own great grandmother would take hers half way out with her tongue and make faces no matter where we were to make everyone laugh. If we're paying, what's the big deal? Life's supposed to be fun, and about family. Not about what people think.)

Answer 10

Particularly in todays society, the focus has been on the younger and younger, while the older generation is pushed out of thew way.

Also, the elderly used to live with the rest of the family, which forced an interaction. Now they are pushed aside, placed in Homes they cannot escape from.


And then there are just visits, when was the last time you visited you grandparents? They are not taken to many places because it does not seem like they would enjoy it or participate.