Social networks are key to good health. That has some doctors seeking strategies to cure loneliness – CBC
Knowing a patient’s social connections called as important as knowing their vital signs
Dec 19, 2023
At one point, Elaine Dawe’s sense of loneliness enveloped her life.
“I was sad all the time. I was lonely. I didn’t want to get dressed. I went for a week in my nightgown, didn’t wash my hair sometimes for a week-and-a-half,” said the 76-year-old Toronto woman.
Dawe is a human face of what the World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a “global public health concern,” in which loneliness has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, dementia, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
In November, WHO launched an international commission to tackle the problem. It is headed by U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy, who cited research that compared loneliness to the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
