A group of researchers working at the University of California, San Francisco, confirmed that taking out a little time for the elderly could add more years to their life. The study suggested that a simple gesture of inviting your grand-parents, parents or any of your other elderly kin for a meal may extend their life span with a definite addition of quality to their life.

The researcher’s squad took 16,000 people as their subjects, with the average age being 71. A survey into their socioeconomic and health conditions revealed that unfortunately, the lonely people had higher mortality rates. Out of the lonely clan, 23 percent died within the first six years of the study. However, the people having good social connections and adequate companionship had a mortality rate of just 14 percent. This finding is suggestive of the fact that loneliness could be a significant contributory factor for the demise of the elderly.

Barbara Moscowitz, a senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital in an interview with The New York Times commented on the same. She expressed her views on how the constant need for human connection or ‘the want’ to be withpeople who value and understand us never fades away. According to her, irrespective of one’s age, having a good company always brings joy.

Another comment on the same topic came from Rosemary Bliesznar, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech. She explained how the small gestures of taking out time for our grandparents added years and quality to their life. She told the readers that the elderly people have a lot better relational skills than the Millenials. According to her, they prioritize their relationships over anything. Hence, inviting them or visiting them for dinner may sound trivial to us but is actually a huge deal for them.

Rosemary further explained that unlike the young adults who are quite impulsive with their decisions, the elderly believe in making efforts to keep their relations healthy. Thus, they overlook their kin’s imperfections and expect the same in return especially in the last phase of their lives.

This study thus highlights the very basic necessity for human survival and emphasizes the fact that we are all unknowingly a part of a big symbiotic chain. We need our fellows, our companions as much as they need us. Hence, practicing activities like a weekly family dinner can help our kin feel loved and wanted.

This could actually be a win-win situation for all. The elderly will get companionship and we will get tones of unconditional love along with some great stories from the good old days.

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