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<li><strong>A new analysis of data from a large, nationally representative group of older Americans finds an association between being socially isolated and developing</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142214">dementia</a><strong>.</strong><strong></strong></li>
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<li><strong>People at risk are those who only infrequently have contact with others and have few active relationships.</strong><strong></strong></li>
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<li><strong>The study’s finding suggests that by remaining or becoming more socially active, one may reduce the risk of dementia.</strong><strong></strong></li>
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<p>Beyond its association with dementia, social isolation has also&nbsp;been&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276590" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">linked</a>&nbsp;to poor&nbsp;<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543">mental health</a>&nbsp;and emotional well-being in older people. The study is published in&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.18140" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Journal of the American Geriatrics Society</em></a>.</p>
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<p><strong>“Social isolation is defined as the objective state of having few social relationships or infrequent social contact with others.”</strong><strong></strong></p>
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<p>The study lists several attributes that qualify a person as being socially isolated: living alone, having no one or only one person with whom they can discuss important matters, and having little or no engagement in social or religious groups.</p>
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<p>The people who qualified as socially isolated in the study met two or more of the following conditions:</p>
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<li>Lived alone.</li>
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<li>They did not have two or more people in the last year with whom they could discuss important issues.</li>
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<li>They did not attend religious services in the past month.</li>
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<li>Did not do participate in other activities, such as volunteer work, clubs, meetings, or groups, in the last month.</li>
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