People of every age share a handful of basic needs. Among them are food, water, shelter and feeling loved. A recent report in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed the effects of loneliness, described as a lack of meaningful contact with others that leads to painful distress, on adults over 60. Over six years, 24.8 percent of lonely older adults in the study lost some ability to perform daily living tasks, like bathing, eating and dressing. These seniors were also 45 percent more likely to die than other people their age who felt they had meaningful connections in their lives.
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