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Society Should Stop Viewing
Holding Hands as Romantic and Reach Out to Older People
By Kate Devlin, Telegraph.co.uk
June 4, 2010
United Kingdom
The physical contact can have enormous health benefits for the elderly, said Honey Langcaster-James, an independent consultant psychologist.
A poll of 3,000 people shows that more than one in four says that they have never held the hand of a grandparent.
When asked whose hands they would most like to hold almost one in five said it would that be the hand of a grandparent who had died.
Almost half over 55s asked said that it would be that of a departed parent.
Ms Langcaster-James said that many underestimate the importance of physical contact for the elderly.
She said: “While to young people holding hands may be a sign of romance or sexual attraction, for the elderly this simple act of physical contact can have huge health benefits and play an essential role in wellbeing.
“Many older individuals feel isolated and lonely and don’t have the opportunity to make physical contact with anyone.
“By holding hands with a friend, relative or someone you care for you’re sending a hugely important message that the individual is valued, important and noticed.”
Holding someone’s hand can help to alleviate isolation and reduce the chances that older people will develop conditions such as depression, she said.
She added: “For an elderly person, reaching for their hand can have far more benefits than giving them pills.
“Because we tend to begin holding hands with our parents when we’re small and helpless and later in our romantic relationships, the act of holding hands is associated with feelings of being loved and cared for.
“That’s why it’s so vitally important for the elderly to have their hands held as often as possible, so they can remember and receive that same reassurance”.
The poll, by OnePoll, the market research company, was carried out behalf of Abbeyfield, a charity for older people.
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