Effects of Social Isolation

Greg Burris, with Give 5 and United Way of the Ozarks, says BYU recently did a study on the physical effects of social isolation and found the physical impact is the equivalent of smoking fifteen cigarettes per day. “We all know people or have heard stories of people who retired and then they were dead a year later because they just didn’t do anything, they didn’t leave the house, they didn’t leave the couch,” Burris says. He says we can overcome this by helping seniors realize that they may still play a role and make a difference in their community.

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