By Dr. Rosanna M. Batista and Ayla Fudala
Maria (name changed to protect privacy) has lived in East Boston for over three decades. She remembers neighbors chatting on stoops during warm summer evenings, when the corner store owner knew everyone’s name, and when a simple “good morning” was part of the daily ritual. Today, at 78, she often finds herself alone in an apartment that feels too quiet, in a neighborhood that sometimes feels like it’s moving too fast to notice her.
“People do not care anymore. They don’t say hello,” she told us, her voice carrying a weight that many of her peers share.
This isn’t just another story about gentrification or changing neighborhoods. It’s about an invisible crisis affecting our elderly neighbors — one that’s hiding in plain sight in communities across Boston. Our recent focus groups at the East Boston Social Centers revealed a startling statistic: one in five seniors in our community feels lonely every single day. Even in a neighborhood known for its tight-knit community, 20% of our elders are experiencing profound isolation.
The focus group was conducted in collaboration with our partners at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which entered this relationship as part of Center Director Dr. K. Vish” Viswanath’s initiative to promote community well-being and health equity. The group was led by former Social Centers Director of Data and Evaluation, Dr. Rosanna M. Batista, and former Harvard Master of Public Health student Elaine Jeon.
The national picture is equally alarming. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness a public health epidemic, comparing its health impact to smoking 15 cigarettes daily. But numbers don’t tell the whole story. It’s the voices of our seniors that reveal the true depth of this crisis.
“Since I stopped working, I didn’t know where to start,” one participant shared. Another confided, “I have no children nearby, and my friends have either moved away or passed on.” These aren’t just anecdotes — they’re desperate calls for connection in a city that prides itself on community.
The East Boston Social Centers’ Active Adults program offers a glimpse of what’s possible. Here, seniors find more than just activities — they find purpose, friendship, and the joy of belonging. One participant noted, “Coming here gives me a reason to get up in the morning. The people here have become my second family.”
But here’s the stark reality: The entire Active Adults program operates on a shoestring budget of about $25,000 cobbled together from various funders — not even enough to cover one full-time salary. This minimal investment is expected to serve a growing population of seniors. Research shows that social isolation among seniors leads to increased emergency room visits, higher rates of nursing home placement, and escalating healthcare costs that far exceed the price of prevention.
Consider the economics: Medicare spends an average of $1,608 or more annually on socially isolated older adults compared to their connected peers. We’re pinching pennies on programs that keep seniors active, healthy, and connected, only to spend thousands more per person on preventable healthcare costs down the line. We’re being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Other cities have increased investment in senior social programs. Minneapolis’s Living Well Network, operating on roughly $200,000 annually, has cut emergency room visits in half among its 3,000 participating seniors. The hub is community supports seniors by helping 32 nonprofits that keep seniors living at home with the resources to be successful.
In Chicago, a simple but effective program called Illinois Care Connections(ICC) provides tablets and tech training to connect thousands of isolated seniors with telehealth services and virtual social hours. These successful programs show what’s possible when all communities prioritize senior connection.
New York’s City Meals on Wheels Program – Combines meal delivery with connections of seniors with “members of the community to combat isolation.” Since its founding, the program has delivered 70 million meals to older New Yorkers in need.
The momentum for change is building right here in Boston. The Age Strong Commission has proposed expanding the “Senior Shuttle” service to evenings and weekends, addressing one of the most critical barriers to senior participation in community life. At the State level, legislation is pending that would establish minimum funding requirements for senior community centers and provide transportation subsidies.
These initiatives represent more than just budget lines – they’re investments in the dignity and overall well-being of our elders. But while we wait for policy changes, our seniors continue to face isolation daily and crave social connections from their neighbors.
The solutions our seniors are asking for are surprisingly simple: reliable transportation to stay connected, more community gatherings that bridge cultural and language barriers, and most importantly, a return to the basic courtesies that make a neighborhood feel like home.
Boston needs to get serious about investing in senior social programs. For the cost of a few emergency room visits, we could fund a robust program that serves hundreds of seniors year-round. We need our city and state to step up with dedicated funding for senior community programs. This isn’t just about compassion — it’s about smart fiscal policy that saves taxpayer money while improving lives.
Look around the next time you walk down a busy street. That elderly gentleman sitting alone at the café or the woman waiting for the bus might have decades of stories to share, wisdom to impart, or simply a need for human connection. A simple “Good morning” or “Buenos días” might seem like a small gesture, but to someone experiencing loneliness, it can mean everything.
The question isn’t whether we can afford to address this crisis. The question is: can we afford not to?
Dr. Rosanna M. Batista is the former Director of Data and Evaluation at East Boston Social Centers Inc. Ayla Fudala is the communications Coordinator at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.