Loneliness Is A Detriment to a Healthy and Long Life
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Our Founder, David Gobel, often relates his volunteering work in Nursing Homes as a catalyst for wanting to establish the Methuselah Foundation, an entity that could help address aging as a disease. Nothing could compare to the experience of some in Nursing Homes better than being in prison on Death Row. Some individuals were, to put it simply, waiting to die. The difference was that in Nursing Homes, the patients did not have a hope for clemency or presidential pardon.
One of the reasons for wanting to extend the healthy human lifespan is friendship. Different generations often have trouble relating to one another and, as your friends begin to die, loneliness spirals into a chronic condition that affects health in a negative way. In the eye-opening New York Times article, written by Jane E. Brody, titled "The Surprising Effects of Loneliness on Health" we learn how important it is to maintain a healthy social life in old age. Loneliness can be correlated with rising levels of stress hormones, inflammation, and deteriorating motor abilities.
Maybe we can take time today to call grandma and grandad to say hello?