SilverSneakers exercise program fights isolation
As the holiday season prompts many Americans to think about signing up for health club memberships in the new year, it may help them to know that the gym may contain more virtues than simply helping work off that third serving of mashed potatoes. Researchers from the MIT AgeLab and Tivity Health have published an article in the Journal of Applied Gerontology that describes the social benefits of a national exercise program for older adults. Social isolation has grown into a major public health issue, having been shown to affect mortality in equivalence to major risk factors like obesity, smoking, and cardiovascular disease. The problem is especially salient within the field of gerontology: Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to isolation due to retirement, the loss of a spouse, or declining health and mobility. Despite having a clear impact on health, social isolation cannot be treated as an ordinary health issue. Targeted interventions to...