May is Older Americans Month
The importance of meaningfully connecting with others.
This Older Americans Month, connect for better health.
Social isolation poses serious health risks to millions of older adults—it has been linked to higher blood pressure and increased risk of stroke, among other things.
Each May, the Administration for Community Living, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, leads the nation in recognizing Older Americans Month and chooses the theme. The 2024 theme is “Powered by Connection” which recognizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being.
Connections to others has a significant role in supporting aging in place and independence by reducing social isolation and loneliness.
Take the Surgeon General’s 5‑for‑5 Connection Challenge
Dr. Vivek Murthy is challenging you to build and strengthen your own relationships and inspire others to incorporate connection in their daily lives. Pick 5 actions and 5 days in a row to connect with people in your life. Each day, take 1 simple action of your choice to express gratitude, offer support, or ask for help.
For ideas on ways to connect, use actions from the Made to Connect Card Deck. The cards help you reflect on and strengthen your social connections. Each card is based on a theme, such as expressing gratitude, and a suggested activity. Here is one example: Think of a time you felt a strong bond with someone in your life. Consider the ways this experience made you feel close and connected with them. Share this memory with that person and thank them for being in your life.
Communicating your appreciation for individuals or groups that are important to you can be a powerful reinforcement of your bond. Research shows that practicing gratitude in our daily lives is linked to reduced feelings of loneliness and stronger social bonds.
Research shows that helping the people around us can improve our own well-being as well. Lending support to others is associated with a reduced risk of mortality and activities such as volunteering are linked to better mental and physical health and life satisfaction.
View the connection prompts at www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/connection/cards/index.html. Grab a free copy of the cards at www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/made-to-connect-cards.pdf.
For more information on the challenge, go to www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/connection/challenge/index.html.
For more information on the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and how ACL strengthens communities in supporting older adults and people of all ages with disabilities, please visit acl.gov.
