Making New Friends as We Age

 

 

Making New Friends as We Age

As we age, the friends and family we have become dearer and dearer, whether because we’ve known them for so long or because we begin to have fewer opportunities to meet new people.

Overall, being around the company of others is an important part of maintaining your well being, which is why it’s essential to continue making friends even as you age.

Throughout this series, we’re going to talk about making new friends, from why it is important, to various ways you can make friends. To start, we are going outline several important reasons you should consider making new friends even through aging. 

Why we lose friends

In our previous series, we discussed the unfortunate, but all too common occurrence of losing a close friend or dear loved one. This can happen for a number of reasons, whether because you had to move away from where you lived previously or vice versa, or because your friend had passed away. In turn, this can drastically change you or your aging loved ones outlook on life and may even lead to elderly depression.

Wanting new friends is okay

For many, it can be hard to admit we want new friends because we are afraid that it says something about us as a person. However, searching for new friends is perfectly okay.

As Shasta Nelson, author of Friendships Don’t Just Happen, points out, very normal multiple times in our lives to need new friends. We need to recognize that our health and happiness are more important than the awkwardness we feel in admitting we need friends.

You should also remember that you are not alone in how you feel. Many others lose friends due to the reasons we outlined above, and like you, may also want to seek new friendships, so don’t worry about being the only person who is in such a situation.

Friends are good for your health

While the loss of a friend can lead to depression, finding a new friend can help to fight those negative feelings and actually improve your health. According to some scientists, social activity and engagement may actually have a significant affect on our health“specifically our mental health “helping to maintain our mental cognition and ward off diseases like dementia and Alzheimers.

Losing friends can be difficult, often leading to complications in our lives such as elderly depression and a decrease in health. That is why it is so important to make sure that you try your best to maintain and develop new friendships even in your old age.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the information we’ve outlined above, please feel free to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or just to say hello!

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“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”