How Are Your Communities Powered by Connection

April 30, 2024

BY Gwen Fitzgerald

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Aging services providers excel at creating relationships and other connections to help older adults thrive as they age. Share your stories in May during Older Americans Month that celebrates Powered by Connection.

Here's a riddle: if there are more ways than ever to connect, how are social isolation and loneliness serious public health problems worldwide?

While the reasons for isolation are many, so are the ways that aging services professionals keep older adults connected to boost their physical, mental, and emotional health. During the Older Americans Month 2024 celebration-Powered by Connection-LeadingAge and our 5,400+ members will share how they make connections through relationships, programs, technology, and more.

Why is this observance so important? Older adults experience the highest rates of social isolation, and the impact is harsh, according to the following data from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA:

• Chronic loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of developing dementia by approximately 50% in older adults, even after controlling for demographics and health status.
• Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29% respectively.

Loneliness and social isolation are costly in human terms and in dollars and cents. Lacking social connection increases the risk of premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Further, social isolation among older adults leads to more than $6 billion in excess Medicare spending yearly, mostly due to increased hospital stays and nursing home care.

"Aging services professionals are experts in building and maintaining connections for the older adults they serve. Whether our mission-driven members are delivering in-home care, running adult day centers, building vibrant activities programs in assisted living centers and nursing homes, or adopting new technologies, they go the extra mile to keep older adults connected," said Katie Smith Sloan, LeadingAge president and CEO. "Connections have a strong positive impact on older adults' physical, mental, and emotional health. And the relationships boost meaning and purpose for older adults and staff, all of which is vital for community and staff morale."

Powered by Connection is tailor-made for LeadingAge members to build their celebration around. To support local celebrations, LeadingAge created members-only tools and resources, which can be found on leadingage.org. Access communications templates, social media text and ready-to-use graphics, and more.

It's not just LeadingAge members who are connectors: LeadingAge creates many ways for members to connect with each other, in line with our values of Catalyst and Community.

Our members value the connections they make through LeadingAge professional development offerings-in-person or on-demand. Here are five ways you can connect with the info you need and people you can collaborate with year-round:

• Explore technology selection tools from the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies. We offer 10+ tools, each with case studies, a selection matrix, and more. You might want to start with the Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology Tool this month, then review the entire suite.
• Connect with other members during a live, virtual event: Business Transformation in the Digital Era (May 14) or Federal Staffing Mandate: Preparing for the Facility Assessment Expansion (May 15), through the LeadingAge Learning Hub.
• Create connections with aging services professionals nationwide. Join a LeadingAge Network (based on provider setting) or a Peer Group (based on interest or field) to collaborate, share, and learn.
• Learn with and from the best. Apply for a LeadingAge Leadership Program. Alumni from these courses evolve into tomorrow's leaders in our field.
• Connect with thousands of aging services leaders and business innovators. Save the date for the 2024 LeadingAge Annual Meeting. And check with your state association for in-person and virtual education options!

We can't wait to see how you celebrate Older Americans Month this year. Please tag @LeadingAge on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram, and hashtag #OlderAmericansMonth and #PoweredByConnection in your posts. And share your photos with Gwen Fitzgerald ([email protected]).