Social Connection

Humans crave community, we are social beings that typically build a network of personal relationships with those around us for love, joy, friendship, support, and more. Meanwhile, the majority of our aging community in America (nearly 60%) lose their social network and family connections once they enter an aging care facility. This level of isolation and loneliness are consistently associated with reduced health and diminished quality of life. In fact, studies have found that social isolation increases the risk of premature death (from 26% to 45%), dementia (50% increase), stroke (32% increase), and heart disease (29% increase).

Yet access to just one caring individual increases an individual’s resilience. Making connections greatly assist people to manage stress leading to longer life, lower instances of depression, and better overall aging.

SoulRaphians provide a foundation of social connectedness through engagement technologies including smart devices, customized digital content, and emotional support programs.

Emotional Wellness

Limited social interaction and increased stress takes a toll on residents and caretakers emotional resilience. Resilience is one’s ability to withstand, recover, and grow when faced with adversity. How one copes with change and grief impacts physical health needs. The emotional impact on residents also leads to an increased emotional impact on caretakers. Burnout, compassion fatigue and a gap in skills to cope with and care for emotional suffering is common place.

SoulRaphians are expanding the idea of what it means to live in community through technology, which also allows us better insight to residents’ well-being, their human needs and their overall health to provide holistic solutions.

One such solution is mindfulness – training the mind to be present through moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, body sensations and environment. This can aid a person’s ability to process change, manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, cultivate positive emotions, and help improve overall physical health and well-being. For staff, these positive benefits also help reduce provider burnout, absenteeism and turnover.

Spiritual Support

Spiritual distress is the impaired ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in life through connectedness with self, others, art, music, literature, nature, or a power greater than oneself. It is critical that we combat spiritual distress and limit its impairment on health. Those who experience higher levels of spiritual distress are more likely to experience pain, depression, and anxiety. 

SoulRaphians support customized media programming, targeted worship services, messages of hope, and more to facilitate interactions that satisfy individuals spiritual needs through our local partnerships.