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by Kara Gavin

“Staying close to home and avoiding crowded places can help older adults reduce their risk of COVID-19. But the new national poll suggests it comes with a cost, especially for those with health challenges.

“According to the findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, in June of this year, 56% of people over the age of 50 said they sometimes or often felt isolated from others—more than double the 27% who felt that way in a similar poll in 2018.

“Nearly half of those polled in June of this year also said they felt more isolated than they had just before the pandemic arrived in the United States, and a third said they felt they had less companionship than before.

“Social contacts suffered too, with 46% of older adults reporting in June that they infrequently interacted with friends, neighbors, or family outside their household—doing so once a week or less—compared with 28% who said this in 2018.”

Continue reading this article at Futurity.com.