Hospitals and Healthcare

VR programs are popping up in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities across the country, with claims the tech helps with mood, memory loss and loneliness.

Sound could be used to combat feelings of loneliness, including during COVID-19-related lockdowns and quarantine, according to new research from James Cook University.

One year ago today I lost my wife in a freak accident,. I have learned that good communication and friendship can help.

Loneliness is often triggered by significant life events, and young people have these in abundance. But the solution isn't as simple as joining a group or trying harder to make friends.

Loneliness is such a serious social, mental and physical health problem that the UK Conservative Government appointed a Minister for Loneliness.

Social isolation affects one in 10 Australians, while one in six experience periods of emotional loneliness.

It is not a trivial problem. The health impacts of chronic social isolation have the same implications for heart disease and stroke as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, a UK study found.

Loneliness is linked to increased mental health issues, increased risk of chronic health issues such as diabetes, and even early death. Lonely people are more likely to go to the doctor, creating a healthcare burden akin to obesity. As the Australian population gets older, rates of social isolation are expected to increase.

Parents and carers are being warned against dismissing youth loneliness as two-thirds of young people report feel isolated from the people around them. 

Marsden believes lonely deaths, while sometimes inevitable, are a symptom of our society.

“There’s more isolation,” he says. “It’s not that community where everyone checks up on each other anymore, they don’t share produce like they used to back in the day."

In one instance the neighbours knew that if the blinds next door didn’t go up, then their neighbour had died. “But it’s rare that that happens. It’s rare you have someone willing to check up on you and make sure you are OK,” he says.

For some people who live alone, a Red Cross service called Telecross takes the form of a friendly welfare check. It provides a daily phone call, 365 days a year, to isolated people. If the call is not answered on the third attempt, an emergency procedure is activated.

Half of Australians feel lonely for at least one day a week, while one in four feel lonely for three or more days. This can impact on sleep, heart health and levels of anxiety.

The reality of feeling alone is not what many people think. Claudia Hammond, who instigated a survey called the BBC Loneliness Experiment, explores five counterintuitive findings.