Last year, the United States Surgeon General declared loneliness across the country as an epidemic, going so far as to claim that isolation and loneliness are a higher cause of death than obesity. Hit especially hard by high rates of loneliness are senior citizens across the country. Montana PBS’ Hannah Kearse sat down with MTPR's Elinor Smith to discuss Kearse’s reporting on the issue for an upcoming episode of PBS IMPACT.
Elinor Smith: Hannah, thank you so much for being here today.
Hannah Kearse: Thanks for having me.
Elinor Smith: Of course. Can you start by zooming in a bit? Help us understand how serious loneliness and isolation are. What are some of the consequences for seniors?
Hannah Kearse: Yeah, so isolation and loneliness increase the risk for physical and mental health concerns, and some pretty big ones. And among older adults in particular, the risk of dementia increases 50%. But increases in the risk of heart disease and stroke, depression, anxiety, and even suicide are linked to isolation and loneliness.
Elinor Smith: Over the course of your reporting, you spoke to a lot of people who had either experienced loneliness themselves, or were working with organizations to help combat loneliness. Do you think you could introduce us to Keith Poston?
Hannah Kearse: Keith is 82 years old, living in the Bozeman area by himself.
Keith Poston: After my wife and I had moved up here from Colorado, and we spent probably four years before she passed away of cancer. And I had been working at the airport the whole time. And people there started saying, “well, now that your wife is gone, what are you going to do? Going to go back to Wyoming?” And I thought, oh, that's a thought. And then I thought no, no. I said, “no, that's not home. This is it.”
Hannah Kearse: He really works hard to fight loneliness in his life. He found Befrienders at the senior center, which their office is upstairs. So he said he just walked up there one day and was asking about it. And the next thing you know, he met his friend, Lyndsay. And him and Lyndsay just had this really close friendship that was really nice to get a glimpse of, and you can just tell that it's very meaningful in both their lives.
Elinor Smith: And could you describe what Befrienders is?
Hannah Kearse: Yeah, Befrienders is a non-profit in Bozeman that specifically focuses on combating loneliness and isolation. They’ve been in the area for 30 years, and they connect volunteers and seniors who are looking for a friend. But they also started a program recently called Lend a Hand. You know, seniors still need help sometimes changing a lightbulb, or digging their car out of the snow. And so, even that little bit of time helping them do something like that can be a social interaction that they need. And that social interaction might be the only one they have for that week or that day.
Elinor Smith: Speaking on just limited access to social interaction, what are some of the contributing factors to isolation among older Montanans?
Hannah Kearse: Well a big one is just physical isolation because we live in a big state and a lot of it’s rural. State numbers show that Montanans 60 and older-- over 100,000 of them are living in isolated areas. And just because you are alone doesn't make you lonely, but it does increase the chances that you are experiencing loneliness. And other things contributing to isolation and loneliness are seniors with low income and seniors with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders and seniors with disabilities.
Elinor Smith: So in your reporting, you mentioned that isolation or loneliness can lead to some pretty serious health issues like increased risk of heart disease. You even included a quote from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
Vivek Murthy: Loneliness and isolation can be significant contributors to mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and self harm. They also have surprising impacts on our physical health. Including being associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke as well as dementia among older adults. The good news is that our connection with one another is a powerful force that can help protect against the damaging physical and mental health impacts of loneliness and isolation.
Elinor Smith: What are the Surgeon General's recommendations for combating loneliness, and how has Montana implemented those recommendations?
Hannah Kearse: So the Surgeon General approaches the isolation and loneliness epidemic on a multi-faceted range of how to combat it. So, you know, there are things that we can do as individuals to combat it. But, there's also things that our communities and governments can do. Some of that is investing in research and investing in community organizations like Befrienders and senior centers. And considering how policies may affect isolation and loneliness.
Elinor Smith: So if any listeners feel like Poston's story sounds familiar, and maybe they're experiencing some loneliness, what should they do?
Hannah Kearse: A good place to start is going to their area's agency on aging. Going to their website or calling the agency on aging office is the right place to start.
Elinor Smith: Well, Hannah, so much for being here today. I appreciate it.
Hannah Kearse: Yeah. Thanks for having me.
This episode of PBS IMPACT aired Thursday February 27th at 7pm on Montana PBS. You can find more episodes on montanapbs.org.
