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Loneliness as risky as smoking up to 12 cigarettes daily, surgeon general says
Not Necessarily New Info but It Got Me Thinking
AP — Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general in declaring the latest public health epidemic.
About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office.
“Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”
Research shows that Americans have steadily reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. But the crisis deeply worsened when COVID-19 spread. People culled their friend groups during the coronavirus pandemic and reduced time spent with those friends, the surgeon general’s report finds.
Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%. The surgeon general is calling on workplaces, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents and other people to make changes that will boost the country’s connectedness. Technology has rapidly exacerbated the loneliness problem,
Observation - So here is what I am thinking. There are a lot of senior solutions on the market that because of their on-demand nature and ability to be viewed on tablets and such actually exacerbate loneliness. They become one more thing in a person’s feed.
And hardly any interactive solutions that seek to engage people utilize music, which, far and away, provides a therapeutic value to people who are experience loneliness and mental health issues.
That is why I am so fervently convinced that Sage Stream, which utilizes music as therapy, and which actively engages participants via chat, is a great solution for isolated people, particularly if they are unable, versus unwilling, to socialize in person. No, Sage Stream will not replace in-person, but it is a valuable complement.