Study: Exercise Classes Decrease Loneliness, Social Isolation in Older People

A study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry tracked 382 people ages 52 to 104 — mean age 76.8 — to consider how group exercise classes affected older adults experiencing loneliness and social isolation, reports the Los Angeles Daily News . The researchers observed a 6.9 percent decrease in loneliness and a 3.3 percent improvement in social connectedness. "These classes had already been shown to reduce the risk of falls in seniors, and this was the first demonstration that they also reduce social isolation, to the best of our knowledge," said Allison Moser Mays at Cedars-Sinai. Participants met with a health coach who evaluated their needs and helped them choose one of four courses — arthritis exercise, enhanced fitness, tai chi, and chronic disease self-management; the three exercise classes were the most popular. Investigators said the coach was especially critical at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with classes going virtual and participants sometimes needing assistance logging on to the platform. "As the demographics of our country shift, more people are living alone than ever before," Mays said. "The number of adults over the age of 65 in the U.S. is expected to reach more than 70 million by 2030 — double what it is now. We need sustainable ways to help this burgeoning population thrive as they age, or there will be widespread consequences."