Friendship is one of the cornerstones of our society and is vital to living a healthy, well-rounded life. Maintaining friendships can improve your health and those who regularly socialise are often happier and healthier people.

For seniors, socialising can be just the thing needed to help prevent an array of health problems, physically and mentally.

Regular contact with family, for seniors, is still essential for their wellbeing. However, it is understandable that they can’t be the only source of social interaction. It’s imperative that seniors also have other friends, or like-minded seniors, they can regularly see or talk to.

The health benefits of friendships for seniors

Maintaining friends and an active social life is important to the health of a senior and can add years to their lives, helping to protect against illness by boosting the immune system. Friendships can also lower your blood pressure and drastically reduce the potential for serious illness.

Social interaction helps keep the brain active, potentially reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and depression. If someone doesn’t enjoy regular contact with others, they also run the risk of feeling socially isolated. This can lead to them becoming less physically active, higher blood pressure, and having a greater risk of death.

A study found that those with a larger number of friends were more likely to recover quicker from surgery or illness. Dr Dunbar who led the research said, “Friendship is the single most important ant factor influencing our health, wellbeing and happiness.”

The magic of community

Our Seasons communities have vibrant social calendars. This allows seniors to forge friendships, share old memories and engage in an array of social activities. By keeping our residents active and involved in activities, Seasons works to keep a positive, healthy and happy environment. We also encourage couples to stay together. This means that often our residents have their best friend with them all the time.

Having friends around encourages seniors to feel helpful, needed and loved and this can make all the difference in their quality of life. You only have to hear some of the stories of friendships, from Seasons to understand just how integral these friendships are.

For more information, find a location near you and discover the Seasons’ difference.