Loneliness can have significant mental health consequences. “Navigating social isolation and financial woes when you have weak executive functions isn’t easy, but there are measures you can take to help yourself feel better.” Here are some ideas.
Feeling Down. Middle aged woman in glasses looking down. Portrait of pensive worried senior woman looking through the window and thinking. Pensive woman.
This pandemic does not discriminate. But it does disproportionately impact the health and wellbeing of older people, and those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , eight out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been in adults age 65 and older.
Compounding this worrisome problem is the emotional hypersensitivity and intensity that accompanies ADHD. “have a lifetime of some degree of struggle behind them, so they already have a stress load coming into the pandemic that others do not,” says Nadeau, who is compiling research on older adults with ADHD, who are more likely to live alone due to higher-than-average divorce rates.
“When you live alone like many of the senior women I counsel, support mostly comes from family, and so much of that regular family contact — and the rituals that give value and meaning to their lives — has been curtailed,” Nadeau explains. Regular contact with their children and grandchildren brings not only meaning but structure to their lives. “Without it, they feel lost. One older woman I know is so distraught she goes to bed at 6 p.m. because she can’t think of anything else to do.
In an effort to help her clients and others who are struggling during this uniquely challenging time, Nadeau hosts weekly support meetings — and attendance has been steadily growing. “They get so much out of small doses of social connection in,” Nadeau says, adding that virtual meetings are not a universal fix. “Technology is a great way to connect, but many aren’t tech-savvy and don’t have the equipment to participate in Zoom conferencing.
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