Living & Aging With Pride's goal is to make sure that our aging populations are not forgotten about and that they have access to the tools, resources and remedies for issues that impact their lives.
They do that through a unique multimedia platform television program and the host James Brown joined us to tell us more about it.
Brown says many industrialized nations are realizing the effects of an aging population, such as a decline in the working-age population and a surge in health care costs.
Over 20 percent of the population of 17 countries consists of people 65 years or older. Nations with a large senior population depend on a smaller group of people to pay for higher health care costs, pension benefits and other publicly funded programs.
Brown also talked about how loneliness affects our senior population. He says there are known health risks of loneliness, in fact the lack of social relationships is as much a risk factor for death as smoking or obesity. Loneliness can cause high blood pressure, increase the risk for depression and cause a higher level of the stress hormone cortisol.
It's important to keep our seniors engaged personally. Social networking among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled and that can keep people feeling connected.
You can learn more by visiting livingwithpride.org. You can also see them on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
