“I can go for days without seeing another human being.” A woman living in the United Kingdom made this observation on NPR’s Morning Edition several years ago, well before the pandemic took its toll on human socialization.
I heard this woman’s voice as I was driving to work one day, and it haunted me. What would that feel like to go for days without any human contact?
Not long after, the British government announced it was appointing a minister for loneliness and launching the first-ever government initiative to address the problem. Noting that social isolation can be more harmful than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, a government official stated it was imperative to take action now.
That was 2018. Fast forward to 2024, where a MedPage Today® article in late July discussed a growing phenomenon called social prescribing. Physicians and other healthcare professionals are not asking their patients, “What’s the matter with you?” Instead, they’re asking, “What matters to you?”¹
In other words, what gives people purpose or meaning? What makes them get out of bed in the morning? Physicians are telling their patients to get involved, join a woodworking class, meet a friend for coffee, or take a walk with a neighbor because it’s all good for you!
It turns out that socialization might also guard against dementia because individuals who are lonely have a 27% increased risk of dementia.₂ A study done at Johns Hopkins University found that socially isolated people were more prone to depression and hypertension, both of which are risk factors for dementia. Social isolation can also lead to less cognitive stimulation and reserve, increasing the risk of dementia.
Years ago, Barbra Streisand sang a song with this lyric, “People/People who need people/Are the luckiest people in the world.”
Turns out she was right all along!
Rosemary Apol-Hoezee, RN, MPH, CPRHM
Dementia Specialist
¹ Hotz, Julia. (29 July 2024). “Doctor’s orders: A social prescription for health.” MedPage Today. Doctor’s Orders: A Social Prescription for Health | MedPage Today
₂ Radde, Kaitlyn. (19 January 2023). “Social isolation linked to an increased risk of dementia, new study finds.” National Public Radio. Social isolation linked to increased risk of dementia, new study finds : NPR