We all know the importance of a handful of deep, meaningful friendships, but in old age, they could make the difference between life and death, Laura Span writes for the New York Times. Recent research findings tell us that social isolation among the elderly often translates into a lack of attention that leads to forgetting medical appointments, for example, and can also have physical repercussions such as increased risk of cognitive atrophy and illnesses such as coronary artery disease. Equally dangerous is simply the feeling of loneliness — a study from UC San Francisco showed that lonely people had higher mortality than those who did not feel lonely (23% versus 14%). As such, it’s integral for people to maintain existing relationships, or cultivate new ones, that will act as an antidote to the loneliness that often plagues our later years: “With strong evidence that friendship does, indeed, help save lives and promote health, social workers and researchers wish we could pay more attention to its central role. Activity directors, senior center staff members and family caregivers: Are there better ways to help elders stay in touch with the friends they care about, or meet new ones? We’re all willing to drive relatives to doctors’ appointments; driving them to spend time with friends may matter as much.”