Friends Can Boost Health, Well-Being Among Older Adults

These relationships can benefit you even more than family

In the first study of 271,053 adults, valuing friendships was related to better functioning, particularly among older adults, whereas valuing familial relationships "exerted a static influence on health and well-being across the lifespan." In the second study of 7,481 older adults, only strain from friendships predicted more chronic illnesses over a six-year period. We want to ensure that senior living in Denver is healthy and friendly for all of our residents. 

If friendships last through older adulthood, "clearly these are good friendships," Chopick tells Health Day News, adding: "As we age, we prune away at some of the friendships that are more superficial and acquaintance-like" and are left "with the ones that are deeper and make us happy." The study reports that older participants identified only their friendships as reliably strong predictors of how happy and healthy they felt. 

Read the full article here: Older Adults Benefit from Strong, Happy Friendships - AARP http://bit.ly/2sWbaIu

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