Loneliness: How lonely am I and What can I do about it?

Loneliness is a public health issue. It was before the COVID-19 epidemic forced us into social isolation. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called loneliness a "growing health epidemic," and even wrote a book about it - Together: Why Social Connection Holds the Key to Better Health, Higher Performance, and Greater Happiness. In the United Kingdom they take this issue very seriously and now have a Minister of Loneliness. Sophie Andrews started an organization called The Silver Line which is a helpline for lonely and isolated seniors. Does loneliness impact those with chronic illness and/or disability more than the general population? Curious to know how you rate on the Loneliness Scale or maybe you'd like to take a quick quiz for a less robust assessment. In this podcast episode we explore that question as well as the antidotes for loneliness. In this presentation for the University of Utah's Program for Inherited Neuromuscular Disorders, I discuss how I've handled social isolation during the pandemic. My friend, David, talks about the Big & Mini online program he's become involved with as well as Quarantine Chat. Although geared toward an older audience, Humana has a toolkit full of ideas on how to combat loneliness.