Researchers are addressing the causes of loneliness in the elderly population in Louisville.

In partnership with the Humana Foundation, the group will engage with seniors in three of the city's neighborhoods.

More tonight in our Next Chapter initiative focused on the issues facing Kentucky's aging population and their loved ones.

Loneliness is is a disconnect between what you want your social life to be and what your social life is, and so you need something to bridge those to bring those closer together.

On the flip side, one of the other things that we're concerned about is social isolation.

And so that is when you lack the social companionship of other people.

And so this specifically social isolation can be very risky for seniors.

It puts you at increased risk for stress, mortality, heart disease, other chronic diseases, and eventually can lead to things like weakened immune systems and, reduced physical activity and loss of independence.

This project was rooted in a former project that, we had done.

It was a, Robert Woods Johnson funded project when we were looking at the concept of a universal basic neighborhood.

And that is what are the minimum, qualities are the minimum things that need to be in a neighborhood for the residents to experience health and longevity.

What can we find in neighborhoods now that promote, social cohesion, that promotes people becoming engaged and addressing loneliness, especially among seniors?

So one of the things that we know, for instance, that contributes to loneliness is the ability to get around town, to go to the grocery, to go see your friends.

We also need to know what the lived experience is and all of these different places.

So starting in the second half of this year in July, we will be visiting different neighborhoods.

We will be conducting asset mapping there to see what is already in these neighborhoods, these assets that we can tap into or lean into so that they can use those as a site for the social inclusion to begin to address loneliness in seniors.

Once we have those surveys and know, their lived experience, we want to go back next year and the year after to try to conduct interventions so we understand the lived experience, how can we, help program these locations at the neighborhood level?

How can we advocate for policy that makes it easier for seniors to get out?

How can we reduce the burdens that, are perceived between someone leaving their house and making a new friend?

The biggest thing is that we want to see people living their lives, their best lives, until they're no longer alive.

Over the summer, they plan to connect with seniors to collect information.

Those who complete the 15 minute survey will receive $15, and be sure to check out Torguard next chapter.

There you'll find a collection of local and national programs, articles, and other helpful resources addressing a variety of aging related topics.