The demonstrated benefits of social involvement raise serious questions about the generational splits in current society. When people become too old or infirm to live on their own, they typically move or are moved to facilities with other old or infirm individuals, often far from family and friends, depriving them of connections to people who can provide loving support. The resulting loneliness can be a killer, even in the absence of a fatal disease.

Read the full article in The New York Times

This year, the proportion of the population of Americans older than 65 — 13% — is greater than ever and growing faster than ever. While the group of older Americans swells, the social safety nets that help older people grow weaker. Pensions, Social Security, Medicaid for long-term care, private savings, and home values are all rocky.

Read the full article at USA Today

Roughly 800,000 people in the United States have Alzheimer’s and live alone, according to an Alzheimer’s Association report released today. That’s about 1 in 7 people who have Alzheimer’s – and the rate is probably higher in big cities, where elderly adults are more likely to live alone. In San Francisco, public health experts estimate that up to 40 percent of people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia live alone.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle

Overcrowded prisons already coping with budget pressures face a new challenge: The growing needs of an aging inmate population. With limited state budgets, prison setups, and facilities, prison officials are trying new ways to provide care and, in some cases, opting to release inmates early.

Listen to the discussion at NPR