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During the COVID-19 pandemic, many observed that loneliness became a parallel epidemic in 2020. Now, in the post-pandemic era, a New York City healthcare provider is prioritizing innovative ways to help older men in Brooklyn reconnect with their communities.
RiverSpring Heath Plans, a Bronx-based healthcare provider that specializes specifically in long-term care, started to organize meetings this year in Midwood to combat isolation among older men.
“It's important that RiverSpring’s programming not only covers physical health… but also offers an opportunity to boost mental wellness and address psychological needs,” said Marc Frederic, a licensed clinical social worker with RiverSpring in charge of putting together the meetings.
Loneliness can be associated with higher risks for high blood pressure, weakened immune function, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline, according to the National Institute on Aging.
The idea for a men’s group first started in the Bronx in 2022, where RiverSpring has a large membership group. Since October, a new group meets at 1630 E. 15th St., where participants from various parts of Brooklyn come together to chat with one another once a month. The meetings are not necessarily structured, nor do they have specific topics the group must talk about. But the emphasis is on the simple fact that conversation among people and peers are important and must occur on a regular basis.
“There's no topic that's off limits. We found that this has been therapeutic, especially when the participants know they are all dealing with the same type of issues, whether it's medical, personal [or] telling old stories,” said Frederic.
Brian Hectman, a Sheepshead Bay resident, was asked by Frederic to join the group at its inception. "I said, 'Why not?' I like meeting people," said Hectman, 67.
He said he appreciates the fact that every person can just be themselves during the meetings.
The meeting's prime objective is to combat loneliness among senior men, a group that often gets overlooked, according to Frederic. “Men have needs that are not always recognized – particularly older men,” said Frederic.
Slightly more than one in every five men ages 65 to 74 live alone, according to 2022 Census Bureau data. That rises to nearly one in four men for those 75 or older. In 2000, one in six older men lived by themselves. In a 2023 report, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy called loneliness and isolation an epidemic.
RiverSpring started the meetings by targeting older men, but also has included younger middle-aged Brooklynites, including 47-year old Curtis Alexander, an East Flatbush resident.
RiverSpring is looking to organize more groups in other boroughs. The meetings can provide a holistic alternative that leads to better health in older Americans, Frederic said.
“I truly believe, when you are connected socially, that has a positive health outcome,” he said.
