Tag: psychology

Middle aged couple walk their dogs

Social networks dwindle naturally over the years as spouses die and friends lose touch. Nearly half of 75-year-olds are widowed or single. Disabilities like diminished hearing or a bum knee also interfere with an older person’s ability to socialize. But maintaining a robust network is crucial, because a substantial body of research shows that retirees…

Two suitcases in the airport departure lounge,

“It’s important to make new connections and friends as you get older,” the retired Boston public school teacher, who is single, said during a recent webinar on “productive aging” organized by the University of Massachusetts, Boston.  Even if O’Connor goes to one of the organized events by herself, she said she doesn’t feel like she’s…