Survey: 1 in 3 Older Adults Feel Lonely

The National Poll on Healthy Aging , conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, finds that one in four older adults say they feel isolated from other people at least some of the time. One in three, meanwhile, say they lack regular companionship. The feeling is more likely in people with health problems, reports WebMD . "Feeling lonely is an extremely common experience for people," says Dr. Erica Solway, a social science researcher at the University of Michigan who helped direct the survey of 2,000 adults ages 50 to 80. People who said they had fair or poor physical health, mental health, or hearing loss were more likely to report feeling isolated or lacking companions. Meanwhile, people who said they ate healthy diets, exercised, got enough sleep, or did not use tobacco were less likely to report feelings of loneliness. "More than a quarter of poll respondents said they only had social contact once a week, or less, with family members they don't live with, or with friends and neighbors," notes Erica Solway.