By Rachel Marty
AARP Oregon
As we get older, keeping our minds sharp becomes increasingly important – and fortunately, one of the best ways to protect our brain health is also one of the most fulfilling: building and maintaining meaningful social connections.
Dr. Suvi Neukam, a geriatrician at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), has seen first-hand how social engagement supports cognitive and emotional health in older adults across the state.
“Social interaction isn’t just something nice to have,” she says. “It plays a central role in brain function, emotional resilience, and even longevity.”
Why Social Engagement Matters
Research suggests that older adults who maintain active social lives are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia. Neukam compares socializing to brain exercise: “When we connect with others – talking, laughing, problem-solving – we’re strengthening memory, attention, and executive function.”
It’s not just about the quantity of interactions, either. Quality matters. Sustained relationships, meaningful activities, and feeling needed all contribute to what psychologists call eudaimonic well-being – a sense of purpose that has been directly linked to improved brain health.
“If we don’t have a reason to get out of bed,” Neukam notes, “we often start losing our ability to get out of bed. Social purpose is protective.”
The Hidden Toll of Isolation
Social isolation and loneliness have profound biological effects. Studies have shown that isolation triggers stress responses in the body, increasing inflammation and reducing brain resilience.
“When we’re disconnected, our cortisol levels rise, and chronic inflammation can set in,” Neukam explains. “That inflammation affects vascular health, which in turn is tied to brain health. What’s good for the heart is good for the brain—and isolation is bad for both.”
Beyond the chemistry, isolation can lead to depression, anxiety, and apathy—symptoms that are themselves risk factors for cognitive decline. “We often see apathy or withdrawal before other signs of cognitive change,” she adds. “These early warning signs should never be ignored.”
Creating Connection: What Works Best?
Neukam encourages older adults to think creatively and personally when seeking connection.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The best activity is the one you’re going to enjoy and stick with.”
Here are some categories of social engagement shown to boost cognitive health:
Creative and Leisure Activities: Book clubs, art classes, music groups, and even knitting circles stimulate the brain and create bonds.
Physical Activity with Others: Group exercise, like tai chi or walking groups, combines physical and social benefits.
Cultural and Faith-Based Involvement: Attending plays, concerts, or services builds both community and purpose.
Exercise Opportunities: Sweet Home Community Pool, Sweet Home Senior Center, and Steelhead Strength and Fitness offer low-cost swimming and exercise opportunities in Sweet Home for seniors. Steelhead has, for many years, offered aerobics classes specifically designed to accommodate seniors with various levels of fitness and mobility. The bonus, of course, is comradery.
Volunteering and Advocacy: Meaningful service can fill the “purpose gap” left by retirement, and supports cognitive resilience.
In-Person, Virtual, or Both?
While in-person interaction is the gold standard, virtual and phone-based options still offer real value – especially in rural or transportation-limited communities.
Neukam advises a flexible approach: “Perfection isn’t the goal. If you can’t get to an in-person event every week, mix it up with virtual activities or phone calls. Something is always better than nothing.”
She adds that, “thanks to the pandemic, there’s now a rich menu of virtual offerings across Oregon.”
Connection Opportunities
Oregon offers a wide range of virtual classes, community-building events, and volunteer opportunities statewide. But Neukam also points to lesser-known local programs making a big impact:
Sweet Home Senior Center: The Senior Center’s purpose is to provide a social gathering place for seniors. Services include a variety of social activities, exercise, arts and crafts, Wednesday lunches and senior trips. The Senior Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 880 18th Ave. It’s a great place to make friends (or re-establish old friendships) and be active. Getting there should not be a problem: the Linn Shuttle transportation and Dial-A-Bus service operate in conjunction with the Senior Center. Call (541) 367-4775 for help or email [email protected] or [email protected].
Meals on Wheels: Stuck at home or having difficulty getting out? Meals on Wheels provides not only very affordable meals multiple days each week (days vary according to community), but it also provides regular visitors who deliver that food and can check on you to make sure you’re doing OK. Meals on Wheels delivers to Sweet Home, Brownsville and Lebanon areas, so most of east Linn County is covered by their service.
Manna: Provided by Sweet Home Emergency Ministries (SHEM), this meal site program is located at Sweet Home United Methodist Church, at the corner of 6th Avenue and Ironwood Street (down the hill from Oak Heights School). Meals are provided Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 5 p.m. for those who are elderly, homeless or just need to stretch their budget or are seeking some companionship.
Volunteer: Here’s a way to stay connected and help others. There are lots of opportunities locally. Here are a few:
- Meals on Wheels (which is operated by the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments) needs volunteer help in administrative support, its Advisory Council, home delivery, kitchen preparation and its pet program. Interested in volunteering? Contact Heidi at [email protected] or by calling (541) 812-6015 (ext. 358).
- SHEM: Sweet Home Emergency Ministries does a lot of things to address hunger and need in the community: Manna meals (see above), supplies to the homeless population in our community and maintains a free clothing closet. SHEM also assists families whose homes have been destroyed by fire by providing bedding, clothing and household items. Volunteers operate a limited system of home delivery for shut-ins and those without transportation. SHEM coordinates a community-wide Christmas basket program and a Back-to-School Celebration, which provides backpacks and school supplies for needy school-aged children. Interested? Visit SHEM at 1115 Long St. or call (541) 367-6504.
- East Linn Museum: Located at 746 Long St., the museum is a treasure trove of local history, with displays featuring many aspects of community life from the past. Volunteers are always needed to staff the facility during hours of operation (which are largely dependent on availability of volunteers), help manage the collection, help with administration, etc. Interested? Visit the museum or call (541) 367-4580.
- Sweet Home Police Department: Volunteer help is needed for putting on events such as Sharing Tree and Shop with a Cop at Christmas, National Night Out, Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Safety Fair, accumulating traffic data, traffic control during events, assisting with the dog kennel, and more. Contact Sean Morgan at (541) 367-5181.
- Sweet Home Genealogical Society: Volunteer members of the genealogical society in Sweet Home spend time at the facility, located at 1223 Kalmia St., doing research on family histories. They’re either hunting down information about their own family, recording histories about other Sweet Home families, or going through stacks of old photographs to identify people. They’re open three days a week (sometimes less if a volunteer is unavailable to open the place), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday thru Thursday. For more information, visit www.shgenealogy.com, email [email protected], or call (541) 818-0578.
- SHOCASE: The Sweet Home Oregon Coalition for Art & Scholastic Enrichment is dedicated to providing the community with opportunities to get involved in the arts through various performances, gallery exhibitions, school support and more. Interested in promoting the arts in east Linn County? Volunteers are needed. For information, contact Rose (541) 680-2220 or Ward at (541) 570-2308 or visit sweethomeshocase.org/contact.
- Beautification Committee: The Sweet Home Beautification Committee is an all-volunteer group that maintains the median strips throughout town, as well as landscaping throughout the city including the ones at the city entrances. The committee hosts a work party each month on the second and fourth Tuesday mornings. To learn more, visit the corner of 10th Avenue & Main Street at 8:30 a.m. on those days mid-May through October, or contact Candy at (541) 971-1092.
- Sweet Home Library: The Sweet Home Library and Friends of the Library need volunteers for a wide variety of activities. Library volunteers help with book covering, material processing, shelving books and movies, preparing for and assisting with programs, seed sorting and more. Volunteers, who can be 14 and up, can work as often as once a week or two or three times a month, depending on their schedules.
- The Friends of the Library, established in 1984, provides support for the library including its Summer Reading Program, Art in the Park events and Community Reads Program. The Friends also provide funds for games and puzzles. The Friends of the Library bookstore, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at the corner of Long Street and 12th Avenue, is staffed by volunteers, but there are other opportunities for those not interested in working in the store. For more information, call (541) 409-0243.
- Other City Volunteer Opportunities: City residents staff various committees that advise the City Council, including the Budget Committee, Community Health Committee, Library Board, Park and Tree Committee, Planning Commission and Public and Traffic Safety Committee. In addition to attending meetings, citizens volunteering for these committees may also be involved in doing legwork to accomplish objectives, participate in public events and otherwise provide expertise and energy to accomplish goals or committee business. For more information, contact the City Manager’s Office at (541) 367-8969.
- Sweet Home School District: The school district offers many opportunities for qualified individuals to volunteer. Volunteers can help out in classrooms, assist with athletic and music programs and events, as well as Booster Club and PTC (Parent-Teacher Committee) activities, and more. A good way to learn about possible volunteer activities is to contact the principal or teachers at the school at which you are interested in helping out. Volunteers must complete necessary paperwork and undergo a background check to qualify for actual service in schools. For more information, contact Loni at (541) 367-7126 or via email at [email protected].
- Sweet Home Pregnancy Care Center: This faith-based, nonprofit organization, located at 1344 Main St., has been serving Sweet Home since 1985, helping women of all ages who are pregnant or parenting with free “compassionate help and practical resources.” Qualified volunteers can be helpful in providing those services. For more information, call (541) 367-2447 between noon and 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, or leave a message.
Virtual Resources: AARP Oregon’s Virtual Community Center is a hub for in-person and online events, plus free digital tools like cognitive assessments and more. Join online at local.aarp.org/virtual-community-center.
- Phone Lines: Free phone-based companionship via landline or cell. The David Romprey Oregon Warmline is available 24/7 at 1-800-698-2392, led by trained peers.
- Senior Loneliness Line (Lines for Life) is available to Oregon adults aged 60-plus daily from 5:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. at (503) 200-1633 or 800-282-7035.
– The New Era staff contributed to this article