A mountain of research has linked loneliness to an increased risk of dementia, depression, anxiety, heart disease, stroke and early death. The county’s Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday that declared loneliness a public health crisis and pledged to explore measures that promote social connection in the community.
Relative to white people, Black people face a higher risk of premature death linked to social isolation. Older adults have a higher risk of loneliness in general, since they are more likely to live alone or have chronic illnesses that limit their mobility or leave them homebound.
Loneliness isn’t an epidemic, it’s a symptom of a greater illness. That illness is called capitalism and it’s slowly killing us all.