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Fostering friendship to chip away at the 'epidemic of loneliness' : Shots -
Health News A growing body of research shows loneliness has profound
implications for physical and mental health. Some organizations in Massachusetts
are trying to help people connect to lessen those affects.


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PUBLIC HEALTH


CHIPPING AWAY AT THE 'EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS,' ONE NEW FRIENDSHIP AT A TIME

September 11, 20235:01 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

From

By 

Priyanka Dayal McCluskey

CHIPPING AWAY AT THE 'EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS,' ONE NEW FRIENDSHIP AT A TIME

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Jason Silverman, on the exercise bike, and his friend Melissa Mills go to the
gym together when they hang out. The pair are part of the Friendship Project in
Framingham, Massachusetts. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey/WBUR hide caption

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Priyanka Dayal McCluskey/WBUR


Jason Silverman, on the exercise bike, and his friend Melissa Mills go to the
gym together when they hang out. The pair are part of the Friendship Project in
Framingham, Massachusetts.

Priyanka Dayal McCluskey/WBUR

On a typical morning, Jason Silverman lounges at home in his bed for hours, with
the TV on and the volume turned up. Sometimes, this daily regimen can get
lonely.

So he looks forward to the days his friend, Melissa Mills, picks him up and
takes him to a gym in Framingham, Massachusetts, where they exercise together.

Silverman, 38, has Down syndrome. Talking is difficult for him, but he
communicates by smiling, sighing and leading Mills by the arm. She's become
familiar with his routine: Usually they hit the treadmill first, then bike a bit
before a lunch break and finally, a swim in the pool.

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"We laugh and don't worry about anything when we're together," says Mills, 43.
"There's no stress; there's no pressure. We're just here to hang out."


FOSTERING CONNECTION

This connection began in a somewhat unusual way. Mills, who works in human
resources for the state police, volunteers with a small but growing initiative
called the Friendship Project. The program is designed to reduce social
isolation — particularly for people with disabilities or mental health
conditions — by helping them build relationships with others.

"People are so isolated and so lonely, and that has such a negative impact on
their quality of life," says Jeff Keilson, senior vice president of strategic
planning at Advocates, the Framingham-based human services agency that runs the
Friendship Project. "If there's ways that we could support people by connecting
them with others, then we absolutely should do that."


PROFOUND EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

This work is rooted in more than a moral imperative to help people.

A growing body of research shows loneliness has profound implications for
physical and mental health. People who are socially disconnected have a 29%
higher risk of heart disease, a 32% greater risk of stroke and a 50% increased
risk of dementia for older adults. Loneliness can increase the risk of premature
death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a recent advisory
from the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's office.


SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS


IN 'TOGETHER,' FORMER SURGEON GENERAL WRITES ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN
CONNECTION

The country is contending with an "epidemic of loneliness," according to that
report — and the medicine to treat the problem is social connection.

The Friendship Project launched during the COVID pandemic and was founded on the
premise that increasing social connection could improve people's lives and even
reduce hospital visits. It's too early for data to show whether the latter is
happening.

Keilson says people sometimes end up at the hospital because they're lonely. "By
addressing isolation, we could actually have an impact on people's use of
emergency rooms," he says.




'OBVIOUS INTERVENTION' FOR PERVASIVE PROBLEM

People with disabilities are among the populations more likely to experience
loneliness, but the problem is pervasive. About half of American adults reported
feeling lonely in recent years — and that was before the pandemic triggered
shutdowns and safety measures that further isolated people, according to the
surgeon general's report.

Enlarge this image

A socially distanced outdoor lunch in March 2020. Even before the pandemic,
isolation emerged as a growing threat to health. OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption

toggle caption
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images


A socially distanced outdoor lunch in March 2020. Even before the pandemic,
isolation emerged as a growing threat to health.

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

Americans also have fewer close friends than they used to, says Daniel Cox,
senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who studies friendship. And
they talk to their friends less often.

Cox says he's heartened to see more health care leaders focus on the importance
of friendship.

"If the goal is to help people live longer, healthier lives, this is a pretty
obvious intervention," he says.

It takes time and effort to nurture friendships, he notes. "[Instead of] putting
the entire responsibility on the person and say: 'You've got to do everything
yourself' — it's actually nice to have institutions to step in and help out,
because they can leverage a lot of resources."


EVEN DOING LAUNDRY TOGETHER COUNTS

The Friendship Project has enrolled dozens of participants so far — ranging in
age from their 20s to their 70s — with plans to grow. Project leaders are
working with some health insurers, including Tufts Health Plan and
UnitedHealthcare, to expand the initiative beyond people with disabilities and
mental health conditions.

The volunteers are background-checked and sometimes fingerprinted before they
meet their new friends. Volunteer coordinator Maryellen Killeen says she
encourages the pairs to start with a simple outing.

"I suggest a walk, hanging out at home, playing a game, going to the library,"
she says. "A lot of them meet at coffee shops."

Other friends take shopping trips, or do laundry together.

For Mills and Silverman, gym visits have become a monthly ritual.

The pair met earlier this year and got along right away. Silverman's mother and
primary caregiver, Stephanie Lynch, says he seems happier and more confident
since he started spending time with Mills.



"It's just human — people need companionship. They need to feel part of
something," she says.


FRIENDSHIP ON THE PHONE

Connections can develop even on the phone. That's the thinking behind the Phone
Buddies program at Commonwealth Care Alliance, or CCA, a Boston-based health
insurer for seniors and people with significant medical needs. In 2020, the
insurer began recruiting its own administrative employees as volunteer friends.
Now, CCA is also working with Advocates, the human services agency in charge of
the Friendship Project, to help more of its members make connections.

Chris Palmieri, CCA's chief executive, said these social interactions are
designed to help members stay healthier and avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

And while the phone chats are not doctors' appointments, medical issues
sometimes come up. If this happens, the volunteer friend is able to relay
messages to the member's care team. "If we're having a connection with
somebody," Palmieri says, "we [can] pick up some cues on the phone calls. We can
refer them into care that would have fallen through the cracks."

Michelle Somerville, a quality specialist at CCA, volunteers about 15 minutes
every Tuesday to call Ida Rodriguez, a CCA member in Lawrence.

Despite their distance — they live 100 miles apart and have never met in person
— the two have become fond of each other. They talk about their families, their
health and their favorite items on the Taco Bell menu.

Somerville says she enjoys hearing about the books Rodriguez reads, from Dan
Brown to Dostoevsky.

"I want someone to read to me, but I don't want to read myself," Somerville says
with a smile. "So it was a match made in heaven."

Rodriguez says her social life has slowed down as she's gotten older, and the
weekly check-ins remind her she has a friend. On a recent call, she told
Somerville how much the relationship means to her.



"Everybody needs somebody to talk to," she says, "you know?"

 * people with disablities
 * isolation
 * friendship
 * loneliness

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