Supporting senior well-being through social connection

Not too long after Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) resumed hosting its popular bingo lunches for people on Medicare and other area residents at our Boone Center, one of the towns the storm hit hard. 

Attendees who came for that first game – in a region that’s still cleaning up and assessing the extent of the loss of life and damage – got a free meal and support. They also got an afternoon of fun and games. At first the mood might’ve felt a little somber, but it didn’t take too long for the laughter to take over. 

Recently, a study published in Psychological Science presented new data showing that loneliness “follows a U-shaped curve”: Young adults and older adults are the ones who are most vulnerable to feelings of social isolation. 

Playtime might seem pretty trivial compared to the serious work of rebuilding after a catastrophic natural disaster, but seen in this light, our event was a powerful reminder that social connection is vital to any recovery effort, whether it’s a person or a community that needs to heal. Any opportunity to strengthen social bonds is an opportunity to promote health and well-being. 

We take a whole-person approach to health for everyone we serve. But when it comes to people over the age of 65, that work takes on a different kind of urgency. An important part of our strategy revolves around thinking holistically about our event programming, customer engagement, supplemental benefit design, and value-added services. 

When it comes to planning ways to promote physical and mental health, we don’t limit ourselves with “either / or” thinking – we look for opportunities to capitalize on a “both / and” mindset.

When we engage with members and the community at large through programming and activities, we explore where it’s possible to design these as dual-purpose events that can support both mental and physical needs in one setting. Some of the work we’ve been doing at our Blue Cross NC Centers scattered across the state serve as good examples.

We began hosting regular Senior Bingo lunches at these facilities as a way to combat loneliness and foster community. These events are routinely filled to capacity. Our Raleigh Center started hosting bingo a year ago. That first game drew a whopping four participants; this July, more than 50 showed up. That growing demand says a lot about the appetite for social connectivity. 

Creating an environment for fellowship is important in and of itself, but we also use this time to create pathways to other resources vital to health and well-being, such as: 

• Healthy food: Bingo enthusiasts receive a healthy meal while they play. Since we began Senior Bingo, we’ve served nearly 2,000 meals across our centers in Boone, Charlotte, and Raleigh. We also steer participants toward resources for longer-term support for food security. At our Boone facility, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture joined the fun to promote Senior Days at the local farmers’ market and provide coupons for the event. Every week, Hunger and Health Coalition provides fruits and vegetables for seniors and others in the community to grab. 
• Community connection: We bring in community partners to call the games and interact with participants. Any conversation with someone in the community – whether it’s a law enforcement officer, or a representative from a food hub or other local non-profit – creates a sense of connection. These conversations help participants know where to turn for resources and support. More than that, these conversations help participants feel more at ease about asking for support, because now they aren’t reaching out to strangers. 
• Physical activity and learning opportunities: Our centers offer a variety of activities, including yoga classes, Tai Chi, cooking, lifelong learning lectures, and more. For many people, bingo is a familiar recreation that can be a gateway to more adventurous offerings. When a friendship is forged over bingo cards, that’s a new support network that makes it safe to branch out and try new things.  
• Benefits support: It goes without saying that our representatives are on-hand during the events we host, ready to answer questions and help.

We began hosting bingo and other activities because we knew our centers could be hubs of activity aimed at mitigating loneliness among older adults. As our work grew, we realized how any social gathering can serve as a one-stop shop where older adults can get easy access to an array of resources and support. Today, we’re thinking much more broadly about this work as part of our commitment to developing more outbound engagement channels so our customer support team can meet these members – and members of the community – “where they are.”

That’s important for a population that frequently faces barriers to transportation. 

Not everyone can get out of the house to enjoy bingo or other social events. Injury or illness can leave someone stuck at home and socially isolated. And once someone feels they lack social connection, that creates a ripe environment for even more serious health conditions to develop.

Connectivity doesn’t just happen in social settings and public events. Senior isolation can be mitigated through supplemental benefits, even when those benefits seem to be more focused on helping address physical needs. For example, Blue Cross NC is particularly proud of the array of caregiver benefits we offer. These aren’t just about helping members and loved ones navigate the physical and logistical challenges of a serious illness. In many cases, they also provide support through the social and emotional challenges as well.

Through our CareLinx¹ program, members can connect to professional caregivers who can help with grocery shopping, running errands, cleaning, and so on. It’s worth noting that this work doesn’t always happen out and about town. Any support inside the member’s home is an opportunity for social connection. In some cases, the member might want to spend the time just talking. That’s a useful and effective “off-label indication,” because social interactions and connectedness can be used to empower health and wellness. Our caregiver support program through Carallel¹ offers similar services to those who are taking care of their loved ones. 

Even our personal emergency response system, Connect America¹, offers opportunities for connection. Nearly everyone thinks too narrowly about what this simple wearable device with a call-for-help button can do. Yes, it’s a lifeline in critical situations, but it provides more than just physical safety. The simple press of a button connects members to another person who can give reassurance when someone’s feeling disoriented, or comfort if they’re feeling anxious. Many older adults press it just to ask about the time of day. That’s not a question about scheduling; it’s about the desire to connect with a human voice. 

The University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging highlights trends in loneliness among older adults from 2018-2023. According to the data, one in three adults between 50 and 80 years old said they felt isolated from others, and that stat only tells part of the story of what the Surgeon General has called our national epidemic of loneliness (PDF).

Blue Cross NC is firmly committed to expanding access to treating mental health with sustainable solutions. At the same time, we also recognize that the sheer magnitude of the mental health challenges we’re all facing requires everyone to think outside the box about how we can help one another stay connected. 

The Blue Cross NC Medicare team has been hosting a series of events across the state called Live Well and Learn, providing educational activities on the history of games, scary movies, dance, and other topics designed to entertain and enrich. At one of these events in Pittsboro, folks gathered to learn about the history of barbeque and enjoy a free meal featuring – you guessed it – barbeque. On top of that, local musicians showed up to perform. Several of the attendees leapt at the opportunity to get up from their tables to dance. 

Bundling activities in this way accomplished a lot in one event. Our team didn’t just put people in the same room – by shining a light on local culture and the history of the food the attendees were sharing, the lecture helped everyone rediscover the common bonds that unite them. The spontaneous dance was a perfect expression of the comfort and joy people experience when they feel more connected to – and more at home in – their community. 

I’d bet for many of the attendees, it was the first time they’d “cut the rug” in many months, or even years. It’d be difficult to overestimate the psychological and emotional value of creating a space where people feel safe enough to reconnect with a beloved activity and mode of self-expression many adults feel too self-conscious to enjoy. All this in an environment where it was easy for anyone to casually ask questions about their coverage and / or seek help accessing resources for health and well-being.

Social, mental, and physical health are all intertwined, so why shouldn’t efforts to support them be too?