Needs of Solo Agers a Growing Concern in Aging Population

Solo Agers (or to use an older term, Elder Orphan,  are terms used by medical professionals to describe individuals living alone with little to no support system. In a research article published in Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research, in July 2016, "Elder Orphans Hiding in Plain Sight: A Growing Vulnerable Population," Maria T. Carney, M.D., and her colleagues, sought to help clinicians identify adults with multiple chronic diseases who are aging alone and are geographically distant from family or friends. Identifying these individuals might well increase the availability of services for this population as a whole. One way that HealthCentral can assist is to bring awareness of this issue to the general public. We interviewed, by email, Carol Marak, an activist in the field of elder orphans, to provide us with some insights. Marak earned a Fundamentals of Gerontology Certificate from the USC Davis School of Gerontology and advocates on behalf of older adults and family caregivers. She is the editor at seniorcare.com and launched a Facebook group for people over 55 who age alone. HealthCentral (HC): Carol, can you tell us more about the size of this population of elders? Carol Marak: Certainly! According to the U.S. Census, on average, 28 percent of the people over the age of 65 live alone. Continue reading for more information about solo-agers and how they must learn to prepare for their elder years without a family member to tak...
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs