If people aged 55 and over are in good spirits, it is mainly because they are surrounded by their families and continue to maintain friendships. Indeed, 92% of them maintain good relations with their family and are close to their children whom they see at least once a week.
But the circle of proximity is not limited to the family. The results of this survey also reveal that local traders represent the second source of contact for the elderly (78%), even before neighbors (73%) and friends (70%). But the participants also admit that it is more difficult for them to meet new people than when they were younger. This observation is even more shared after 70 years. Moreover, nearly a third of the people questioned declared that they had never met new people. And that only the close entourage made it possible to enlarge the circle of their acquaintances.
“Aging well and being in good health only makes sense for seniors if they are in contact with others. Social ties play a major role in aging well and in preventing loss of autonomy. The social link is the most effective drug, ”recalls sociologist Serge Guérin, in the report of the investigation.
Stay active to keep morale up
This survey also reveals that 55 years and over need to stay active in order to be in good shape and maintain morale. More than a third of them (36%) said that being on top of the news keeps them in the loop. A quarter of seniors aged 55 and over need to go out for fun (24%), travel (22%) or participate in joint activities, such as volunteering or joining an association (22%) .
This survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews with a national sample of 1,040 people aged 55 and over.
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