EARLIER this week I visited an elderly housebound patient who was suffering from a mild chest infection. As I was getting ready to leave, she asked me about my Christmas plans. We spoke for a few minutes.

I learned she had children whom she talked very fondly of, proud of all they had achieved, and as any granny would, proceeded to show me pictures of her grandchildren.

I asked if she was seeing them for Christmas and noticed a veil of sadness come over her face.

“They are very busy, you know, and they don’t live nearby.” I sat back down and my heart broke as she told me about how lonely she felt these days. She had never spoken about this to anyone and would not dream of telling her children how she felt – “I don’t want to bother them or worry them, it’s their time now.”

This is not an uncommon scenario. Every year countless elderly, frail and housebound people face a heightened sense of loneliness and sadness, many end up in hospital, others suffer and count down the hours until someone calls or checks in.

While loneliness used to be a state confined to the elderly, we are seeing a loneliness epidemic sweeping across the western world as more and more people are suffering in isolation. It’s ironic because, on one hand, thanks to the advancements in technology, we are more digitally connected than ever – yet on the other hand, it is becoming the very cause for why people are shutting themselves away from real human connections.

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Nowadays, you can work as part of an entire team and never have met a single co-worker, comfortable in the knowledge that they are simply one email away.

Why make the effort to go out and meet a friend when they are just a text or a video-call away? Although communication may be easier and faster, which brings with it many benefits, this mode of connection over a prolonged period of time is brewing deadly pathology.

I am seeing more patients than ever who suffer from social anxiety. This has always existed, but prior to the dawn of 24/7 accessibility to the internet, people were forced to venture out, had relatives and friends visit them, and people had some real contact with the outside world. Much of this population now retreats at home, on their own, able to do everything with the click of a button, and therefore spiral into a loneliness crisis.

I recently spoke to an online influencer. They have thousands of followers and are adored by the community that they have created online, but they admitted how alone they feel. “It’s not real life, they don’t know the real me.”

Humans are pack animals. We are not designed to be on our own for prolonged periods of time. Loneliness is a subjective experience, a fairly common emotion, which on a temporary basis does not cause any overt harm to an individual. Over a longer period of time, however, it is known to cause health problems including depression, anxiety, insomnia, cardiovascular issues, type 2 diabetes, obesity and premature death. People are more likely to adopt coping mechanisms that can be detrimental to their health. It is a growing and very serious public health concern.

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There are several community initiatives, charities and networks that are working hard to promote enhanced social services. On a personal level, giving up some time to volunteer or simply checking in on an elderly or vulnerable friend, relative or neighbour can go a long way to helping them feel connected and valued.

While we visit our patients and work to help improve the quality of their lives as much as possible, they are in need of more social prescriptions incorporating real friends, activities to stimulate the body, mind and soul as well as ventures outside of their own four walls.

I am looking into ways that I can help my elderly patient so she is not on her own on Christmas Day, but I appreciate we have many more in the same predicament. I also worry about those who will be home alone, enduring feelings of isolation and sadness, over

the festive period and hope that, over time, we are able to help address this important issue on a wider level.