Turning Empathy Into Innovative Solutions
People have started scouring the internet for virtual ways to connect with friends and loved ones. Netflix parties, Animal Crossing, and Zoom calls are all doing a lovely job at keeping us occupied, so it seems. But when days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, feelings of loneliness can begin to creep in. We start to miss visiting the trendiest restaurant spots with our friends, and attending those dreaded (but ultimately fun) family barbecues.
If you have felt scared, isolated, or restricted during this quarantine, then I challenge you to explore those feelings and consider how they may allow you to better empathize with our aging population.
Loneliness and social isolation are prominent issues amongst older adults.1 Loneliness has been associated with a variety of physical and mental health outcomes, including depression, Alzheimer’s, and cancer mortality.2,3,4 Multiple studies have found that loneliness may increase the risk of premature mortality in the senior population.5,6,7 Suffice to say, loneliness and social isolation have a tremendous negative influence on the quality of life of seniors, which is only being further exacerbated by the current situation. We who are young can only imagine the devastating impact that the current pandemic has had on vulnerable individuals living in retirement and long-term care homes around the world.
References
[1] Perlman, D. (2004). European and Canadian studies of loneliness among seniors. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 23(2), 181-188.
[2] Kabátová, O., Puteková, S., & Martinková, J. (2016). Loneliness as a Risk Factor for Depression in the Elderly. Clin Soc Work J, 7, 48.
[3] Donovan, N. J., Okereke, O. I., Vannini, P., Amariglio, R. E., Rentz, D. M., Marshall, G. A., & Sperling, R. A. (2016). Association of higher cortical amyloid burden with loneliness in cognitively normal older adults. JAMA psychiatry, 73(12), 1230-1237.
[4] D’ippolito, S., Shams, M., Ambrosini, E., Calì, G., & Pastorelli, D. (2017). The effect of loneliness on cancer mortality. Annals of Oncology, 28(6), 82-88
[5] Patterson, A. C., & Veenstra, G. (2010). Loneliness and risk of mortality: A longitudinal investigation in Alameda County, California. Social science & medicine, 71(1), 181-186.
[6] Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Ayalon, L. (2010). Situational versus chronic loneliness as risk factors for all-cause mortality. International Psychogeriatrics, 22(3), 455.
[7] Tilvis, R. S., Laitala, V., Routasalo, P. E., & Pitkälä, K. H. (2011). Suffering from loneliness indicates significant mortality risk of older people. Journal of aging research, 2011.
[8] Levy, B. (2009). Stereotype embodiment: A psychosocial approach to aging. Current directions in psychological science, 18(6), 332-336.
[9] Bennett, T., & Gaines, J. (2010). Believing what you hear: The impact of aging stereotypes upon the old. Educational Gerontology, 36(5), 435-445.
[10] Nelson, T. D. (2016). Promoting healthy aging by confronting ageism. American Psychologist, 71(4), 276.
[11] Nelson, T. D. (Ed.). (2004). Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons. MIT press.
[12] Batson, C. D., & Ahmad, N. Y. (2009). Using empathy to improve intergroup attitudes and relations. Social issues and policy review, 3(1), 141-177.
[13] Cikara, M., Bruneau, E. G., & Saxe, R. R. (2011). Us and them: Intergroup failures of empathy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 149-153.
[14] Thomas, J., & McDonagh, D. (2013). Empathic design: Research strategies. The Australasian medical journal, 6(1), 1.
[15] Banja, J. D. (2006). Empathy in the physician’s pain practice: Benefits, barriers, and recommendations. Pain medicine, 7(3), 265-275.
[16] Waytz, A., & Gray, K. (2018). Does online technology make us more or less sociable? A preliminary review and call for research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(4), 473-491.
[17] Doré, B. P., Morris, R. R., Burr, D. A., Picard, R. W., & Ochsner, K. N. (2017). Helping others regulate emotion predicts increased regulation of one’s own emotions and decreased symptoms of depression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(5), 729-739.
[18] Van Bavel, J. J., Baicker, K., Boggio, P. S., Capraro, V., Cichocka, A., Cikara, M., … & Drury, J. (2020). Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nature Human Behaviour, 1-12.
About the Author
Neerjah Skantharajah
Neerjah is a translational researcher in training. She is passionate about demystifying the world of research and extending the reach of scientific findings. Her specific interests lie in the aging population and the interplay between art and healthcare. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Translational Research at the University of Toronto. Through her final year capstone project, she hopes to understand and act upon the needs of seniors to improve their quality of life. She continues to immerse herself in this space by working with organizations such as Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and the BC Centre for Palliative Care.
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