Sociable Neighborhoods Make for Healthier Seniors, Study Says

Q. I had a stroke a few months ago and I am recovering well, according to my doctor. What are the best ways to ensure I have all I need to make a strong comeback?

Check out your neighborhood for support while recovering from a serious illness such as stroke. The odds of surviving stroke appear to be much better for seniors living in neighborhoods where they interact more often with their neighbors and count on them for help, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

“Social isolation is unhealthy on many levels, and there is a lot of literature showing that increased social support improves not just stroke, but many other health outcomes in seniors,” said Cari Jo Clark, Sc.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “What is unique about our research is that we have taken this to the neighborhood level instead of just looking at the individual.”

Clark and colleagues at the University of Minnesota and Rush University in Chicago studied 5,789 seniors (60 percent women, 62 percent black, average age 75) living in three adjacent neighborhoods in Chicago. Researchers interviewed the participants about their neighborhood and their interactions with neighbors.

While stroke incidence didn't differ among neighborhoods, stroke survival was far better for seniors living in “cohesive” neighborhoods, regardless of their gender. “I think this indicates that a positive neighborhood social environment is as important to senior health as stress or even crime, but it is a really complex issue,” Clark said.

One possible reason for improved survival is that seniors living in closer neighborhoods have others looking out for them who can get help sooner if they start experiencing stroke symptoms.

If you don’t feel that you can get that kind of support from your neighborhood, look to family and friends. Or consider a non-medical caregiving company. Your local Home Instead Senior Care® office can provide the support you may need to help you make a full recovery. Home Instead CAREGivers offer assistance with meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands and shopping – all activities that can allow you more time for rest and respite.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, go to www.homeinstead.com/627. To learn more about the research, visit http://www.ahc.umn.edu/media/releases/stroke-community/index.htm.