COVID-19 has certainly exerted a huge toll on our country. Millions of people have become sick and many of these, disproportionately represented by the senior population, have succumbed to this infection. However, even those who have survived or have not contracted COVID-19 have experienced significant challenges. Seniors, like many others, have had to learn new ways to cope with isolation and mental health challenges during social distancing. And this isolation has impacted their overall health. A study from the Humana Office of Population Health (updated April 2020) reported on the health effects of loneliness1 and showed a 57% increased risk of Emergency Department visits from heart failure patients who were lonely and a 64% increased risk for seniors for developing clinical dementia.
However, when it comes to our Tampa Bay seniors, we want you to know that you are not alone. Humana joins with Senior Connection Center leaders regularly to find solutions to issues, like loneliness and social isolation, through our Bold Goal Senior IMPACT group. I am proud that The Humana Foundation and our local Humana leaders invested over $600,000 to respond to Tampa Bay community needs during COVID-19 and have made mental health and social isolation a significant priority for that funding. One exciting outcome from this funding has been the expansion of a program called “Tele-Pals” by Seniors In Service. Tele-Pals offers you the opportunity to connect regularly with someone over the phone. Whether by volunteering or by reaching out for a connection yourself, you can find a regular time to connect with another person. A study published in 2019 found that, after two years of volunteering, volunteers felt less socially isolated (88% reported fewer feelings of isolation), less depressed (78% reported fewer symptoms of depression), and in better health overall (84% reported stable or improving health).1 Even if you are not feeling particularly socially isolated yourself, I assure you that there are others who are. Consider a small contribution of your time to the Tele-Pals program or to another safe volunteer program in the area. It will do a world of good for your health, for someone else’s health and for the overall health of our community.
Please know that Humana is not only bringing awareness to the challenges that isolation presents, but we are also actively assembling local and national solutions and resources to address social isolation and loneliness. These resources are found on a new website, FarFromAlone.com. If you know of other great solutions like TelePals that would be a good addition to FarFromAlone.com, please email us at TampaBold@humana.com.
1 Humana Social Determinants of Health Brief on Loneliness – https://populationhealth.humana.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SDOH-Issue-Brief_Loneliness_March2020-EXTERNAL.pdf
Albert Tzeel, MD, MHSA
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