Solo Aging: Building Your Personal Network (Part 2)
Recap of Solo Aging: Building Your Personal Network (Part 1)
In Part 1, we discuss how to help aging individuals, also known as "solo agers" or "elder orphans," by providing guidance on building a personal network. The post is based on a YouTube video featuring Glenna Crooks, Ph.D., who discusses the importance of building a support system for solo agers. Glenna presents eight networking groups that can help individuals create their unique support team. Part 1 highlights the need for a personal network and provides examples of individuals who might benefit from one, such as those without children, who never married or had children, who live alone after a divorce or the death of a partner, or having distant or estranged relatives. The post includes a powerful story about a woman who experienced a life-changing car accident and her granddaughter's challenges in finding support for her recovery. This story emphasizes the importance of having a strong network during emergencies and prompts readers to consider if their friends or family would know who to turn to in times of need.
Part 1 introduced us to the first 2 networks a solo ager should investigate. They are the Family Network and Health and Vitality Network. See part 1 for the complete blog.
This blog, Solo Aging: Building Your Personal Network (Part 2), will introduce us to the other six networks needed to ensure a solo ager will have the help and resources should they ever be in a crisis situation.
Connect, Learn, Thrive: Education and Enrichment Network for Lifelong Success
Educational and Enrichment Network:
The education and enrichment network includes schools, colleges, educators, and various groups and clubs, providing opportunities for learning and personal growth.
This network is important for acquiring knowledge, expanding one's horizons, and developing new skills throughout one's life.
Engaging with this network can help individuals stay intellectually stimulated, connect with like-minded individuals, and access resources and information that can enhance their overall well-being and quality of life.
Creating a Supportive Network for Solo Aging: Strengthening Social and Community Bonds
Social and Community Networks:
Social connections are vital for well-being: The social and community network promotes well-being. It provides opportunities for social interaction, emotional support, and a sense of belonging, which is essential for maintaining mental and emotional health.
Community engagement enhances the quality of life: Active participation in the community network can lead to a higher quality of life. Engaging in community activities, volunteering, and connecting with neighbors and local organizations fosters a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and social integration.
Networks can be built and expanded: It is never too late to develop and expand your social and community network. Joining clubs, organizations, or community groups, attending social events, and reaching out to neighbors and acquaintances are ways to forge new connections and strengthen existing ones. Building a diverse network can provide support and enrich your life with new experiences and perspectives.
Harnessing the Power of Spiritual Networks in Solo Aging"
Spiritual Network:
Diverse Expressions of Spirituality: The spiritual network is not limited to traditional religious congregations. It also includes other groups or activities that individuals consider spiritual. This could be anything from hiking in nature to volunteering at a hospital, indicating that spirituality can be expressed in diverse ways.
Supportive Community: The spiritual network often provides a supportive community that can offer various services. Some religious congregations, for example, may provide mental health services, daycare, or retirement community activities. This highlights the spiritual network's role in providing practical and emotional support.
Personal Meaning: The spiritual network is deeply personal and can be a significant source of meaning and fulfillment. This network can contribute to an individual's sense of purpose and well-being through formal religious participation or private spiritual practices.
Maximize Your Potential: How a Strong Career Network Enhances Solo Aging
Career Network:
Importance of professional networks: Maintaining or reestablishing friendships developed in the working world is important. These may be colleagues, customers, government regulators, and other external contacts in the work world. These networks can potentially help to serve as roles in our solo aging network or be a resource.
Continuing relationships after leaving the workforce: Even if we are no longer in the workforce, we still have the potential to maintain relationships with people who used to fulfill various roles for us. These relationships can be valuable for personal connections, support, a sense of community, and being a resource for the solo ager.
Emotional impact of leaving the workforce: Leaving the workforce can result in loss, particularly when it comes to the relationships formed with colleagues. These relationships often extend beyond professional connections and can develop into friendships, making the transition out of the workforce emotionally challenging for some individuals. Reach out to those whom you consider friends and colleagues to discuss the network you are trying to build.
Navigating Solo Aging: The Role of Home and Personal Affairs
Home and Personal Affairs
Importance of Organization: Having an organized home and personal affairs network is important. It suggests that having a well-managed network can help in times of emergency, as illustrated by the story of the woman who was in a coma and her granddaughter's struggle to find her contacts.
Interconnected Networks: Many of these networks are interconnected. For instance, connections made in a social and community network could potentially provide valuable resources or opportunities in a home and personal affairs network. Some of the following people should be part of this network. They include your Attorney/Estate Planner,
Financial/Tax Planner,
Banker,
Real
Need for Documentation: It is not only important to discuss and document your network, but encourages individuals to share information with trusted individuals who can step in to manage affairs if needed.
Finding Closure and Healing: How the Ghost Network Can Help Reconnect with the Past
Ghost Network:
The Ghost Network refers to people who used to be in your life but are no longer present, whether due to relocation, passing away, or simply growing apart. These individuals can still significantly impact your life, and it's important to acknowledge their absence and find ways to reconnect or seek support from others who know them.
The Ghost Network can be a valuable resource in times of need. Just like the story of the granddaughter who found support for her comatose grandmother through her church network, reaching out to people who were once part of your life can help you find the support and assistance you may require.
Maintaining connections with various information sources and networks, including online platforms, is essential. By staying connected, you increase the chances of finding someone from one network who can fulfill a need in another network. This interconnectedness can be especially helpful when navigating challenges in your home and personal affairs network or seeking guidance in legal and financial matters.
Don’t Forget your Pets also have a Network
Pet Networks:
Pets have their own networks: Just like humans, pets also have their own networks. They interact with other pets, animals, and humans, forming social connections and relationships.
Pets enrich our lives: Having a pet in the family can bring immense joy and happiness. They provide companionship, love, and emotional support, which can greatly enhance our overall well-being.
Pet networks offer various benefits: Pet networks offer a variety of uses. They can provide both pets and owners with socialization, exercise, and play opportunities. Pet networks can also provide resources and support for pet owners, such as pet care services, walkers, sitters, kennels, training programs, and veterinary care.
Conclusion:
Glenna Crooks, Ph.D., discusses the challenges faced by solo agers and the importance of building a personal support network. Solo aging can be isolating and emotionally challenging without a spouse or children. Glenna emphasizes the need for solo agers to proactively make connections and support systems to ensure they age with dignity and fulfillment. In the video, she discusses what she calls a Life Network. The Life Network consists of enduring relationships, including family, health, education, spiritual, and social connections. By recognizing the relevance of solo aging and taking steps to build a personal network, solo agers can navigate the challenges of aging alone and thrive in their later years. I strongly encourage you to watch the full video. Click Here.