Connect the Dots
How to combat loneliness and social isolation as we age.
Older adults, perhaps far more than their younger peers, are susceptible to loneliness and social isolation. The long-term effects can be damaging, if not catastrophic, as feelings of isolation can put someone at a higher risk of developing serious conditions such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline, according to the National Institute on Aging. Some researchers suggest prolonged loneliness is as bad for one’s health as smoking.
HumanGood, which has life plan communities across the country, including three in the Philadelphia area, has taken steps to combat loneliness and social isolation among its companywide resident population. In 2024, HumanGood introduced a health span initiative designed to measurably improve residents’ health and well-being with scientifically validated data-driven programs. The initiative aims to help residents “live their best life possible,” says HumanGood Vice President of Operations Andrew Smith—“not just a long life, but a healthy and well life.”
“We already provide all three of the main components people need for a good life—three nutritious meals a day, high-quality health care, opportunities for socialization—but we wanted to take it a step further,” adds Smith, who is based in Pasadena, California. “We wanted to help measure [residents’] health and recommend what they can do to improve it and then measure the improvement.”
At some HumanGood communities, technology has played a key role in limiting loneliness in ways that can be measured and scientifically validated. One example involves virtual reality technology from a company called Rendever. Residents in a cohort don VR goggles during brief sessions conducted over the course of eight weeks. Comparing participants’ pre- and post-assessments has shown that the technology is making an impact, according to HumanGood Director of Program Development Katie Gaddi, based in San Diego.
“What has really been remarkable to us is to see that for many of these residents who signed up, they don’t want to stop,” Gaddi says. “It was extra work for them on top of their already busy schedules, but they’re locked in. They now have an additional cohort of friends.
“They’re sitting together with their cohort, they’re reflecting on what they have experienced [during the VR sessions],” she continues. “You can say, ‘Share with me your childhood home address,’ which then generates a whole slew of stories, because they are experiencing that together. Maybe you’re a skier on a mountain or visiting Paris even if you never actually visited Paris. It gives them a new purpose. As one resident said, ‘It’s like living a new life in this headset.’”
The health span initiative includes other programs, either in consideration or development, designed to stave off or prevent loneliness. One pertains to a caregiver support group for residents who care for sick or infirm spouses, because the time and effort associated with caregiving can cause someone to feel disconnected from the rest of the world.
Social support is nothing new to residents of HumanGood communities. Smith cites a tradition at the Plymouth Village community in Redlands, California, that dates back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every day at 4:30 p.m., residents would come out and wave at each other because they couldn’t be any closer together,” he says. “Even now, in October 2025, at 4:30 every day, every one of them comes out of their cottages to wave at each other.”
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2025.
