Social isolation has been shown to increase the risk of dementia in elders by about 60%.
Member Doug Jones (who agreed to be photographed) jokes with Executive Director Jenna Smith while working on an art project during a Respite Care Atlanta meeting at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta in 2022. (Phil Skinner for the AJC)
By Rachel Lee – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jan 6, 2026
As a 21-year-old college student, one of my closest friends is not another 20-something-year-old student from campus but rather a 75-year-old woman living with dementia, whom I met while volunteering in the memory care unit at a local assisted living facility.
Despite the differences in our life experiences and age, I was struck by how much of myself I saw reflected in her stories of her service in the French military. Intergenerational relationships like ours have a powerful impact on the most vulnerable in society: elders living with dementia.
.gnuoy eht eht derahs spihsnoitaler reffo lanoitarenegretni ,ytinamuh rof yhtapme ,noitcennoc htob dna dna esehT DWLE
htuoy erehw ot eht taht naht secaps spihsnoitaler yllacorpicer erom ti ,noitalosi si tnatropmi snoitareneg retsof etabrecaxe reve aitnemed nac htob tifeneb dna ssorca nI .DWLE
People living with dementia are vulnerable to social isolation
htiw htiw .euqinu eht yrots tneitap eno ym efil tsuj si reh morf raf ecneirepxe ,elpmaxe aitnemed era dna elihW
Rachel Lee is an undergraduate student majoring in human health at Emory University. (Courtesy)
htiw htiw ot taht redlo fo rebmun noillim gnivil detcepxe detamitse elbuod ,aitnemed yb era dna na sega sA snaciremA s’remiehzlA 56 9.6 .0502 ,4202
ot taht .sksat hcus ,tnacifingis ,gnivlos-melborp mrofrep ro ro s’eno eno fo erom yromem gnitsal si ni srednih yllareneg yadyreve denifed enilced ,noitingoc sa sa saera ytiliba a aitnemeD
sraey htiw htiw elbarenluv ot eht taht gnireffus laicos laicos revo fo erom gnivil eussi .noitalosi ,noitalosi morf yllaicepse ylredle aitnemed ,yldaorb era na ydaerla ega stceffa esohT snaciremA 56 %52
ot ,emit eht eht laicos nwohs emas ksir fo noitalosi esaercni ni sah sredle aitnemed yb neeb tuoba tA .%06
gnuoy siht eht stroper noitingocer fo .ylenol ssenilenol ni ni remrof gnileef yreve cimedipe deralced ,nrecnoc stluda a keviV .S.U .S.U noegruS ,ylralimiS yhtruM nI lareneG 3 1
htiw hcihw detnarraw eht taht ,hcus laicos esir fo noitalosi snoitnevretni lanoitarenegretni gnidnepmi gniretsof yllaicepse evitceffe .aitnemed lacitirc ,snoitcennoc tabmoc yb era era sA
These programs help guide intergenerational conversations
ot siht lufsseccus lareves esnopser ,deen lufgninaem lanoitarenegretni sevitaitini evah gniworg deretsof .snoitcennoc nI
gnuoy etirw sreetnulov lautriv ot ot sevlesmeht .swohs gnimrofrep srettel rof mlif ,elpmaxe dna swolla YEBOY roF DWLE aitnemeD redneirfeB
”stekcit“ gnuoy htiw hcihw sreetnulov ot ot tes-erp ro elibom lufgninaem si evitaitini ni saedi gnivah ediug setareneg ylisae snoitasrevnoc noitasrevnoc ,ppa na elbissecca tekciT ,klaT .DWLE rehtonA
htiw sreetnulov ot hguorht hguorht ekat tneduts elor ,margorp sriap no gniripsni ,evitaitini sredle evitaerc stfarc sa .stsitra tra dna na a gninepO sdniM DWLE ,strA rehtonA
gnieb-llew ot eseht eht niatsus ,noitalumits laicos gnicuder smargorp smargorp fo gnipleh evah noitcnuf gniretsof egaruocne tnemegagnesid ,noitcennoc evitingoc evitingoc detifeneb dna gnoma osla lanoitarenegretnI .DWLE .DWLE dnoyeB
ot suht rieht hcus nwohs gnippohs paer ytilauq smargorp lacisyhp llarevo fo latnem .efil esaercni htlaeh evah reippah .gninedrag gnitatilicaf secneirepxe gnicnahne yliad yb ,stifeneb neeb gnimoceb sa dna dna gnoma osla osla ytivitca lanoitarenegretnI DWLE DWLE
gnuoy erew ot hguorht taht sreganeet .troppus laicos laicos deviecer smargorp smargorp ylevitisop doom evlovni lanoitarenegretni yhtlaeh dnuof tnemegagne egaruocne nerdlihc yb tsoob era dna dna dna gnoma gniga ,llarevO .DWLE DWLE ,yllanoitiddA
Youth can benefit from spending time with elders
regnuoy gnuoy htiw ohw ot ot emit meht rieht ’stneduts dneps laicos slliks etarapes ees loohcs spihsnoitaler .elpoep elpoep fo erom nrael lanoitarenegretni slaudividni esaercni pleh morf dnetxe .aitnemed noitcennoc nac retslob stifeneb .ecnadnetta sa dna osla osla gnuoY ehT lanoitarenegretnI DWLE
ecipsoH“ htiw elohw ohw sreetnulov gnireetnulov gnidnatsrednu eht taht .stneduts stneduts tneduts lliks ,serahs sgnittes loohcs margorp ”.ssecorp ;nosrep ecaep won erom erom em edam lanoitarenegretni ni ni ni hgih sah gniveirg dnuof deretsof tnemegagne srovaedne yhtapme tnempoleved sngised aitnemed erac ta ta citsitra dna gnoma ma a suoiraV ,aryS esirnuS roineS enO ,gniviL I DWLE
gnuoy htiw htiw syaw .yaw sreetnulov ot ot eht eht yrots ylno fo ton erom lufgninaem yam gnivil sevil lanoitarenegretni eripsni ni woh erolpxe seifilpmexe hcirne ylredle aitnemed snoitcennoc tcennoc nac tub osla a reH DWLE
reetnulov euqinu ot ot stneduts dluohs sloohcs ytinutroppo lacol gnivil si mrof rof ytilicaf seitilicaf egaruocne .tiderc esruoc .snoitcennoc neewteb ta detsissa detsissa dna na cimedaca a gnireetnuloV spihsrentraP
,stisiv ylsuodnemert suht eseht eht taht hcus .stneduts .stneduts seigetarts senotsgnippets llams trohs evres sloohcs secnamrofrep rehto gnizilamron cisum otni lanoitarenegretni etaroprocni htlaeh rof rof secneirepxe srovaedne ,stroffe aitnemed ,mulucirruc evitaerc noitacinummoc nac laicifeneb ssenerawa sa era dna dna nevE ,DWLE ,yllanoitiddA
ruoy htiw htiw yaw su ,gnidnatsrednu deppart ot ot ot ot emit meht eht eht solis loohcs dnimer spihsnoitaler rehtar tneitap ssap edistuo ruo ruo fo fo fo ym lautum .sevil ekil tsuj ti t’nsi si edisni ni ecnatropmi hgih ,htworg teg lanoitareneg .tnemllifluf sredle ysae esrevid snoitcennoc tcennoc .ytinummoc ,egelloc tink-esolc tub gnirb dna dna a esehT gnippetS nI
etaudargrednu tneduts gnirojam si ni namuh htlaeh ta na .ytisrevinU lehcaR eeL yromE
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