Loneliness is on the rise. In a 2020 survey by Cigna, more than 60 percent of respondents reported “…feeling lonely, left out, poorly understood, and lacking companionship.” For individuals living with chronic disease, this lack of connection can impact their response to treatment and disease progression. For example, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found a 29 percent increase in the risk of disease and a 32 percent increase in the risk of stroke for those without strong social connections.
Diagnosing and Treating Loneliness
As coaches and allied health professionals, we wear many hats, and it’s not always easy to identify loneliness. Consider tools such as Silver Fern’s Healthy Lifestyle and Disease Prevention program to effectively uncover and provide help for those patients struggling with loneliness. The program’s Behavioral Health Barriers and SDoH-Plus modules offer health care providers with validated, quick assessments that identify patients who may be suffering from loneliness or lack of social support. Based on clinical behavior research, these digital tools provide insights into the patient’s psychological state and worldview and identify practical issues that may be impinging on maintaining good social relationships.
Finding a Connection
Once identified, patients who are experiencing social isolation need tangible ways to find connections in the community. Social isolation develops over a long period of time, and it is unlikely that a quick chat and a few suggestions will fully resolve it. However, providing patients with opportunities to engage with others and make connections can be a first step to helping them develop strategies and a more positive frame of mind.
Here are a few suggestions to help your patients begin connecting:
Simple person-to-person interactions can be a great way to help patients gain a feeling of connectedness. Simply stopping to chat with neighbors outside about their landscaping or the weather can do wonders to boost mood and ease the feeling of isolation.
Volunteering is an excellent way to meet others while aiding a worthy cause. City and town halls often offer lists of volunteer opportunities in the community. In addition, there are online services such as Volunteer Match that can generate lists of volunteer openings that meet preference criteria. Volunteering helps patients shift their focus from their own challenges to the needs of others.
Adopting a pet can help patients form an emotional attachment and contribute to their meeting other like-minded people. As a bonus, if patients choose a dog, it can be an incentive to become more active. Dogs in the U.S. have the same problem with obesity as their human owners, so long walks twice a day are a boon for the patient and man’s best friend.
The likelihood of developing loneliness increases as we age, as does our risk of lifestyle-driven chronic diseases. Because the two are related, health care providers will increasingly need to address both factors to help patients effectively prevent, manage, or potentially reverse chronic disease.