A study from the University of Texas at Austin found that during COVID-19 lockdowns, a simple phone call to 240 seniors over four weeks measurably reduced depression rates. Can something as simple as a phone call meaningfully ease senior loneliness? The data that Ooma collected shows that a phone call can mean the world to a senior. It’s a simple act with outsized mental and physical health benefits for older adults.

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The team created a helpful map that also highlights key findings from their study. Here are a few of the most important figures:

• 1 in 3 adults aged 50 to 80 (34%) report feeling isolated.
• 77% of seniors with poor mental health report feeling isolated compared to only 29% of seniors with better mental health.
• 7% of American adults over 65 have been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.
• The map shows a wide variation in seniors reporting 14 or more poor mental health days, with a range of 5.5% among North Dakota seniors to 12.7% of West Virginia seniors.

Their data also shows that isolation is a health crisis, more dangerous than a simple mood problem. When people feel isolated, their mortality risk is comparable to that of people who are obese, inactive, or who smoke regularly. Isolated seniors have a 50% higher risk of dementia. There are nearly quadruple the death risk odds for heart failure patients who are isolated, and a 68% higher hospitalization risk. Isolated seniors are also at a 32% higher stroke risk and a 28% higher hearing loss risk. Rural seniors are the most vulnerable due to limited Internet access, transportation barriers, and a cultural stigma around expressing loneliness.

The dangers of loneliness are clear, and luckily, there are clear solutions. UT Austin’s empathetic phone call program created rapid drops in depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Weekly phone calls could improve mental health and even cognitive functioning. A 2024 telehealth study showed that both phone and video calls can have these effects.

The Ooma team also provided helpful tips that can help people spot signs of loneliness in their loved ones. If their social behavior changes, that’s a warning. This could look like withdrawal, dwelling on the past, canceled planes, and drawn-out conversations. Cognitive issues are another major red flag, like forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and less engagement. If a senior’s sleep or appetite changes, they have persistently low energy, neglect their hygiene, or develop an unexplained ailment, this could also signal loneliness.

If you want to help fight the senior loneliness crisis, you could volunteer with the Institute on Aging’s Friendship Line, LBFE, or DOROT. Local assisted living communities might have an adopt-a-grandparent program. Volunteering for Meals on Wheels not only provides seniors with food but also offers a chance to socialize and conduct safety checks. If you are short on time, simply pick up the phone and call an elderly neighbor or relative. This study makes it clear that it’s a powerful act of kindness.

When a language disappears, a worldview, history, and culture fade with it. There are thousands of languages at risk of going extinct, as a report from Preply shows. Their Endangered Languages Report gathers data showing where the crises are most acute, while offering hope that extinction isn’t inevitable. They’ve shown areas where revival is working, too.  The study highlighted problem areas in vanishing languages, the reasons they are in danger, and hopeful signs that languages can be revived.

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Australia leads the world in the number of critically endangered languages indigenous to its borders (133). In general, the Pacific region and islands have the most endangered languages overall, at 250. Africa has the highest number of threatened languages at 217. In many of these locations, globalization puts pressure on Indigenous and isolated communities. A globalized world pushes young working-age people toward learning a globally dominant language like English or Mandarin, so they have expanded opportunities. It’s worth paying attention to the scale the study creates with at-risk, vulnerable, threatened, endangered, severely endangered, and critically endangered languages. This shows that risk is a spectrum in the world of language, just as it is in plant and animal species.

In the data, a language stands out as a relative success story. Welsh is a vulnerable language, with 19%–20% of the population speaking it. After over 50 years of effort and education, it rose to 30% of children between 3 and 15 years old who spoke it. The nation of Wales set a goal of a million fluent speakers by 2050. If they can meet that goal, it will prove that policy and education can revive a language.

The Lakota language is a cautionary tale of historical oppression. There are only 2,000 speakers today and it’s an endangered language. The United States assimilation policies pushed Indigenous people into residential schools, where children were forced to drop their language and speak English. Today, only 1% of the Lakota population of 170,000 can speak their native language fluently.

Cornish is a rare and unique language brought back from extinction. It officially went extinct in the 1800s, and thanks to a standardized written form revived and adopted in 2008, there are now 557 speakers of a once-dead language.

“Awakening” languages are revivals of once-extinct languages, like Cornish. Kaurna, an Australian language, was nearly lost when the last speaker passed away in 1929. But a program worked to revive it among 50 speakers using dictionaries, songs, and formal education programs. These aren’t the only awakening languages. Wampanoag, Palawa Kani, and Natchez have also awakened back into existence. Revitalization is slow, meticulous work, but these languages show that it’s possible.

Non-native speakers can do their part to support efforts by studying an at-risk language or helping out a revival group. Native speakers carry the heaviest burden and will most effectively save a language by teaching it to their children early. Schools and governments also have a part to play by offering classes in endangered languages. Language survival is possible when ordinary people decide the language is worth speaking.

The team at Preply has completed its 2026 report on Language and Global Career Mobility. This study was performed across three English-speaking countries and examined why people are moving abroad and what languages they’re learning to prepare for the transition. It’s no secret that learning a second and even a third language can boost career prospects, but this study shows that this is key to helping people achieve their dreams of moving abroad. The survey included 1,800 respondents from the U.S., the UK, and Canada.

Many people aim to move abroad as job opportunities shrink at home. 40% of the survey respondents said their home country’s economy was in decline, and around the same number had either experienced job loss or were close to someone who had lost their job in the past two years. Those dreaming of an adventure outside their country are seeking a fresh start that can help them gain a more secure footing in a career, along with the ability to find new opportunities, grow, and thrive. 92% of people moving abroad said knowing the local language is critical to success.

The survey results are rich with detail. We learned that 63% of Gen Z have experienced job loss in the last 24 months. 81% of people open to relocating to a new country are more likely to do so now than they were two years ago. The biggest motivations for moving are the cost of living and the hope for a better quality of life. 75% say that learning the local language boosted their confidence and certainty about moving. 93% of respondents said they’d take advantage of language learning if their employers offered it. Clearly, there’s a strong willingness to learn new languages!

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Since the year 2000, international travel has doubled. As traveling abroad becomes more common, life abroad begins to feel more accessible and possible. An enormous 82% of the survey respondents said they were open to moving abroad. Interest is highest in the UK at 87%, followed by the U.S. at 84%, with Canada trailing at 68%. As always, people are interested in moving abroad because they imagine they’ll have a better life there, but the team dug up a few more specific reasons as well. Some people are drawn to the culture, lifestyle, or language of the country they want to move to, while others are drawn to it for its healthcare, market access, and political and economic stability.

Today, many people in major cities around the world are fluent in English, and there are countless apps to aid translation. The benefits of learning a language are clear from this study. The confidence and personal transformations it inspires are priceless. Three in four learners say that learning a new language had a strong impact on their personal growth and even changed their lives. This study strongly underscores the personal empowerment that language learning provides.