The unfairness of concentrating on old people's loneliness

Post Reply New Topic

The media always talks of such a demographic usually, especially in the UK... yet whenever and pretty much every time I try to go to some kind of social club it's invariably filled with old people. Where I live it's barren for any kind of universities... except the university of third age!

So, seriously, I think they can have enough companionship as it is, but who cares about anyone else... why, young people have families usually, who cares about those who don't... even prisons are full of orphans here, WTF.

I'm not sure I understand what your final point is, but I have found that befriending older people has enriched my life. They usually have a lot of interesting experiences they can tell you about from their lives.

I think he's saying that young people are lonely, too. But that the media emphasizes the loneliness of old people--thereby, in a sense, discriminating against young people.

When I was a child, I sometimes enjoyed the company of old people sitting on park benches more than the young kids I was playing with.

People experience loneliness in all age groups. The only difference for older people is that studies show they are most likely to be socially isolated as well. Young people can also suffer from both of those factors, of course. However the aged often have different reasons for becoming socially isolated - physical illness, bereavements of friends and family, living in a youth and materialistically oriented culture, sometimes being stereotyped by others as old=uninteresting/useless etc, though regardless of age, loneliness can be an acute form of suffering, and can start very early in life for some. It started for me in the playground (and I'm old now). Fortunately I did become less lonely after the horrible school years.

I've always benefitted from the wisdom of old people.

I'm getting close to being old myself. I hope I may serve as a Beacon of Wisdom for somebody!

Yep....they would feel secure in the company of a sober and rational person.

There was actually a survey in my country, where the researchers were shocked to find that young people were actually more lonely than old people.

I was not surprised at all when I heard it; I believe social cohesion is being destroyed by modern mobility. It just takes people too much time to form social bonds and start trusting each other. I've spent some time in very stable and peaceful communities, and the emotional wellbeing of the young is rather striking compared to the state of young people in more unstable communities.

I've always liked being around old people. They're the ultimate Sweet Peas.

I've experienced plenty of loneliness, but I think the loneliness of old age scares me so much more.

It's a loneliness that comes from losing loved ones forever. It's not about not being able to make friends. It's about having had people that you loved, then living through their death and knowing that you'll never, ever see them again. Add in physical illness/injury and it's a loneliness that you can't even begin to think of fixing by getting out and meeting people - it's being trapped in your own house, with nobody around, no way to get out, potentially nobody to notice if you fall and can't get up, or if you pass away in your armchair.

That definitely frightens me.

Loneliness is no respecter of age. It's a (sad) fact of life. It's not a competition, though it might feel that way for some. To be isolated is painful, on the spectrum or off it, though perhaps more for people on the spectrum. I read a research study that found the highest levels of reported loneliness was from young men in their 20s. The key word may be reported though. Older people often seem to minimise - "don't worry about me" as they don't want "to be a bother to anyone" (so do some young people) - because they are afraid that if they voice it, they will be further isolated. Individualist societies are not very inclusive of those who are seen as less productive, and this attitude can affect the young too. It's a huge issue really.

I like talking to people far older than me, even in the 50+ range.

But the friendship between old and young is not the same as young and young, and some may find they not enjoy the lack of these differences.

What I mean is lonely young people can be friends with older people but may also want someone their own age, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.

The places I volunteer are commonly known to lack young people and I attend a social group for disabled people with men no younger than 28.

I still enjoy myself but it's a different (and more limiting and boundary-filled) type of relationship.

It's important to "bridge generations."

But it is also important to know people who are within your generation, since people within the same generation share common experiences in life.