Loneliness can be debilitating, especially as we age, and Michael Whitehead wants to do something about it. Mr Whitehead is the Men’s Health Clinical Nurse Consultant at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, and recently presented at the Global Action on Men’s Health and the World Congress of Public Health. This week is Men’s Health Week and Read more
We all feel lonely sometimes. Loneliness is no different to hunger or thirst; a signal from our bodies that we need something. Meaningful social connection—especially with people we can be ourselves around, people we can call on in times of need—is a basic human need. But just like these other needs, if left unmet for Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to loneliness in Australia. This is especially so as Melburnians entered the strictest lockdown to date. Meanwhile, the rest of Australia braces for the possibility of a second wave and people are adapting to new habits and restrictions. This has disrupted our social routines, and in many cases has Read more
The incidence of prolonged loneliness for youth increased significantly during the lockdown. For youth aged 15-24 years (General Social Survey) or aged 18-24 years (other surveys), the incidence of prolonged loneliness increased from 5.8% of youth before lockdown to about 20.8% during the lockdown. It fell slightly to 17.0% post-lockdown. These are the findings of Read more
In 2018, a national survey exploring the impact of loneliness revealed that this condition is now at epidemic levels and poses a severe health risk to the general population. Survey results were released by Cigna, a global health service company, based on the UCLA loneliness scale, an instrument that measures and assesses subjective feelings of Read more
In its 2018 budget, the Australian government announced $46 million towards the community visitors scheme which is designed to reduce loneliness in older adults. Earlier this year, Tracey Crouch was appointed the United Kingdom’s first minister for loneliness. While it may seem unusual to some to have government take a role in improving our social Read more