Some health professionals suggest that older people spend more time socializing with others and playing sports to stay healthy, but many retired people have experienced loneliness and a lack of fitness. Why has this happened? What can be done to address this?
题目来源：2016年3月31日亚太雅思大作文
题目大意
有些健康专家建议年老的人可以通过更多的社交和运动来保持健康，但是很多退休的人往往很孤单且不健康。问：这是为什么？有什么解决方案吗？
思路解析
这是一道报告类大作文，内容是关于老年人健康的话题。要回答好这道题，首先是审题找到关键词/限定词。题目中一共有两个：old people/retired people 和 loneliness & lack of fitness
old people/retired people：限定词，对主题的人群加以限定，特指老年人。很多人都会寂寞或者不健康，但是此题的分析要找出针对老年人的相关原因，不然就会因为偏题低分。（比如，你如果在文中拿年轻人忙于工作没有时间社交和运动，那就是偏题。）
loneliness & lack of fitness：主要围绕孤独和不健康的原因分析和解决方案。
那么，我们一起来分析下，老年人感到孤独和不健康的原因究竟有哪些？
首先我们要明白，不管老年人还是年轻人，社交圈主要都是由三类人构成的：同学/同事、家人、朋友。
很多打工人都会吐槽工作累等等，但要承认的，工作的这8个或10个小时，你其实是在和同事在同一个环境下互动沟通的，当中也不乏有目标相同、爱好相同的人。那当一个人退休之后，他其实不再拥有同事这个社交圈了。
而当一个人退休了，年龄也基本属于老人的范畴了，这意味着父母和伴侣可能已经过世了。而孩子已经长大了，需要花时间去组建照顾自己的家庭或忙于自己的工作事业。所以，老人获得家人陪伴的时间也在变少。
朋友这个圈子，一是大家都老了，朋友可能一个个都过世了，二是我们起码要能和朋友保持联系对吧。我不知道各位同学的爷爷奶奶会不会用智能手机，月半鸭的爷爷奶奶过世前是真的连旧手机都不太会用，所以他们和为数不多的老朋友的沟通方式真的还是通过座机偶尔电话联系下来完成的。这种联系频次和我们随时随地都在微信聊天真的是完全不一样的。
所以，不再有同事、家人陪伴越来越少、能联系的朋友越来越少都会导致退休老人越来越孤独。
那其次来看不健康的原因，不健康无外乎心理和身体。长期孤独缺乏陪伴本身就会引发心理的亚健康，甚至产生抑郁。而随着变老身体的免疫力下降、器官老化也会导致各类身体疾病的产生，老年痴呆、心脏病、肌肉萎缩、骨质疏松等。
那么，梳理清楚问题后，我们来看如何改善这一情况。
针对孤独的问题，也就是如何减少孤独感，可以通过两方面。一是可以通过向老人普及教如何使用智能机和聊天软件，让老人能方便且随时随地和家人朋友保持联系。二是社区可以建立老年人活动室或者组织老年人活动，让社区中的老人有机会互相认识交流、进行娱乐项目或一起完成些有意义的事情。
孤独问题解决后，心理健康问题其实也解决了。那身体健康就是靠保持每天的有规律的运动，散步、乒乓球、打太极拳或者广场舞都是能适合老年人的运动。适量的且不激烈的运动能够延缓身体机能的衰老，让身体保持更久的健康。
提纲
范文示例
Social creatures as we are, our connection to others, enables us to survive and thrive. Yet, as we age, many of us are alone more often than before, leaving us vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness and related health problems. Fortunately, there are ways to counteract these negative effects.
It is true that loneliness can affect anyone of any age, but older people are particularly vulnerable to feeling lonely. Older people’s social networks often get smaller for a number of reasons. After retirement, people might miss the day-to-day contact with their co-workers as well as the routine of getting ready and going out to work. It is a quite different being on their own seven days a week, rather than just at weekends. As people grow older, they are more likely to lose loved ones. Ageing siblings and friends or their children may move away, along with grandchildren. Worse still, chronic loneliness will set people in a stage in higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions. People who feel lonely may have weakened immune cells that have trouble fighting off viruses, which makes them more vulnerable to some infectious diseases and other problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline and even death.
There exist some potential interventions to address loneliness and increase the level of health. Having a sense of mission and purpose in life is proven linked to healthier immune cells. The community-based program could be devised to enable the old to work for a social cause and get to know people who share their values and form relations with trusted partners puts them in contact with others, and help develop a greater sense of community. Also, they could be encouraged to keep up with an exercise routine, even for those who suffer from a chronic illness or have been sedentary for some time, as there always are safe, easy and comfortable forms of exercise, including walking, swimming and cycling.
In conclusion, loneliness does not happen overnight. It is something that creeps up as personal circumstances change, and feelings of isolation increase. Conversely, people who engage themselves in meaningful and productive activities with others are more likely to maintain their well-being both physically and mentally.
