By: Mariah Mills

Loneliness and social isolation are affecting the elderly within the United States, with estimates showing isolation can impact 17% of Americans who are aged 50 and up, according to AARP. Loneliness is the experience of emotional or social isolation, while isolation is the experience of complete social disconnect. Loneliness and isolation can be measured among elder individuals based on the frequency of communication, types of communication, quality of life and emotional satisfaction of relationships.

According to psychosocial research published as Loneliness and Quality of Life Among Elderly People, a study found that females tend to be lonelier than males. Quality of life drastically drops for the elderly if they are widowed. Isolation is prevented for the elderly by programs created and funded by the government and local counties. One of the main services funded by the government includes Meals on Wheels, which provides the elderly with hot meals if they cannot cook and provides an interaction with a volunteer; who can also provide a safety check for the senior according to The Register-Guard. Recently, President Trump has considerably cut funding for seniors with the new budget, eliminating $3 billion in Community Services Block Grants and $1.2 billion in Community Development Block Grants said AARP, which funds the popular Meals on Wheels program.