Relationships, especially of family, and while not necessarily family by blood, should be a foundational value of every man. This cannot be emphasized enough.
Researchers out of University of Adelaide found that people who live in larger households are at lower risk of developing and dying from dementia, as Wenpeng You and colleague Macieg Henneberg, published in PLOS One. The looked at variables conditions and standard of living for people over the ages of 60 years old from 183 countries and found the larger household tend to help older people age better compared to living alone.
“It’s a significant finding in informing how we plan care and living services for people as they age, because it shows that human factors – relationships, a sense of connection and purpose, encouragement and praise, meaningful engagement with others – are all quite important in combatting the progress of dementia,” Dr. You.
“We are one of the few species that have adapted over thousands of years to rely on extended family groupings from cooperative breeding, and then evolved alloparental care, until shaped for flourishing in small communities,” Professor Henneberg says.
“In the stretch back across that evolution, it has really only been a very short period where we have moved away from that. We are actually not well-adapted to the contemporary trends of small families, personal space and individualism.”
When addressing the benefits of large household, Henneberg stated, “”There are usually regular mealtimes, there is conversation, people to check to see if you have taken your medications, and family members encouraging regular activity.”
Most importantly is what we should get out of this study is the importance of building meaningful relationship and that we shouldn’t shame people who live large household or look at is as some sort of primitive way of living. As a matter of effect, it is in a sense a very economical and socially intelligent way to live…granted you’re the guy taking care of his parents and not leaching off of them.
W You and M Henneberg. Large household reduces dementia mortality: a cross-sectional data analysis of 183 populations. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0263309
