'Loneliness Maps' Could Help Those Most Vulnerable To Social Isolation And Related Illness, Charity Suggests

Loneliness is an increasing problem in the UK, currently affecting an estimated 800,000 people in the England alone.

Yet most of us don't realise the extent to which social isolation can damage a person's health.

“Research shows loneliness is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and it is more harmful than obesity," Laura Alcock-Ferguson, director for the Campaign to End Loneliness tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.

"The costs associated are also high, as individuals experiencing loneliness visit their GP more often, have a higher incidence of falls, and enter residential care sooner.”

Research collated by Campaign to End Loneliness suggests a lack social connections also increases a person's risk of high blood pressure and onset disability.

What's more, it's thought loneliness may increase a person's risk of dementia by 64%, as well as making individuals more prone to depression.

We often talk about Britain's obesity epidemic, but a report from 2010 indicated that the effects of loneliness on mortality exceed the impact obesity has on an individual.

So isn't it about time we started to discuss Britain's loneliness epidemic?

The key to limiting loneliness and these health risks is identifying those most in need of help and providing them with support.

According to new research published by Campaign to End Loneliness and University of Kent, one way to do this could be "loneliness maps".

The report - titled Hidden Citizens: how can we identify the most lonely older adults? - suggests local services and councils use existing data to predict where the most lonely and isolated residents live.

If households have just one occupant, a head of household who is over the age of 65, are situated in a low income area, or do not own a car, they are listed among those most likely to experience social isolation.

The report highlights how loneliness maps are already being used successfully by some councils across the UK, including Gloucestershire and Essex.

An example loneliness map from Essex County Council

“It’s not a surprise to know that finding people who are extremely lonely can be particularly challenging," Alcock-Ferguson says.

"But identifying people who are most at risk of loneliness and the areas that they live in will help charities, public services and other organisations reach out and target limited resources at those most in need of their help.”

Campaign to End Loneliness want more councils to use loneliness maps, but until then, they say anyone who wants to help reduce loneliness in their area should join the campaign by visiting campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk.

“If you’re feeling lonely, there are a number of things people can do," Alcock-Ferguson adds.

"Take up a new activity, volunteer, or simply talk to someone about how you are feeling. This could be a GP, a friend or calling a helpline.

"There are a number of helplines, including The Silver Line (for anyone aged 55 or over), the Calm Zone (for men) and SupportLine (which is for all people, of all ages)."

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Causes Of Loneliness

1. Aging(01 of05)

Sure, depression is common in old age, and people are living longer than ever before. But the role of the elderly within communities is also shifting, from traditional societies where the elderly held a hallowed place as the repository of community customs, history and stories, to post-industrial societies where this guidance function is much less valued. As this sociological shift takes place, older people risk feeling marginalized from their families and neighborhoods, particularly if they end up in nursing homes.Flickr photo by Horia Varlan (credit:flickr: Horia Varlan)

2. Death And Divorce(02 of05)

Writing about the loneliness epidemic, one national columnist talked about the "three Ds": death, divorce and delayed marriage. It's not hard to see why the death of a spouse would trigger a feeling of loneliness. Jane E. Brody had a lovely meditation on this topic in the New York Times not long ago. The divorce point is more interesting. We know, for example, that online dating has seen its highest growth rate among baby boomers. But all that dating doesn't necessarily translate into feeling less lonely. Sometimes it just reinforces it, as people bounce from one partner to another.Flickr photo by firemedic58 (credit:flickr: firemedic58)

3. Social Media(03 of05)

Which brings us to social media. The central thesis of The Atlantic article I referenced earlier is that even as we become ever more connected as a society digitally, we are becoming less immersed in real-life social ties. This is not a new thesis, and as someone who spends a lot of time online I can readily attest to its accuracy. What's interesting about the article is that it looks very closely at Facebook and references research suggesting that while "active" interaction on Facebook -- e.g., making a comment on someone's status update, sending a private message -- tends to make people feel less lonely, just passively scrolling through other people's feeds and hitting the odd "like" button can make you feel more lonely. An earlier study offers some insight into this finding: Because we are psychologically predisposed to overestimate other people's happiness, when we see the invariably upbeat, relentlessly witty and sometimes just plain gushing status updates that pretty much define Facebook, it makes us feel worse about ourselves. (credit:Getty)

4. Commuting(04 of05)

Here's a factor I hadn't considered, but which makes perfect sense. According to Robert Putnam, the famed Harvard political scientist and author of Bowling Alone, long commuting times are one of the most robust predictors of social isolation. Specifically, every 10 minutes spent commuting results in 10 percent fewer "social connections." And those social connections tend to make us feel happy and fulfilled.Flickr photo by Richard Masoner (credit:flickr: Richard Masoner)

5. Genetics(05 of05)

There is also likely a genetic component to loneliness. One survey of loneliness among twins showed much less variability in the self-reporting of loneliness among identical twins than among fraternal ones. There's also been a lot of fascinating research coming out of The University of Chicago about the way in which loneliness shapes brain development and vice versa, suggesting a neural mechanism in explaining loneliness.Flickr photo by Sheryl (credit:Flickr: Cheryl)

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