Reach Out and Touch Someone
By Michael McFarland
Can’t you feel it in your heart now?
A new thing is taking shape.
Reach out and touch a hand.
Make a friend if you can © Universal Music Publishing Group.
The above lyrics are from the song “Touch a Hand, Make a Friend” by the Oak Ridge Boys. Those words are so relevant as the U.S. Surgeon General is now calling attention to the public health crisis of social isolation. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Suppose it is that large in the USA. In that case, many of our older relatives and neighbors could be experiencing the same social isolation here in Canada, especially in winter.
Canadians at risk also
About 35% of Canadian seniors are at risk of becoming socially isolated. Reports by Statistics Canada estimate that 28% of Canadians over age 65 feel isolated from others and wish they could participate in more social activities.
A new report from Harvard Medical School finds loneliness and social isolation can have profound effects on mental health as well as heart disease, stroke and dementia. However, there is a distinction between loneliness and social isolation. Social connectivity – loneliness
The distinction has to do with objective versus subjective aspects of social connectedness. Social isolation refers, objectively, to whether you are spending time with people and/or in communities. Are you living with people or not? Are you engaging with various forms of community life? Are you spending time with friends and family?
Loneliness is one’s subjective sense of whether relationships and community involvements fulfill the deep, intrinsic need almost everyone feels for social connection. Are social relationships sufficient to meet the desire to be with other people, to be understood by others, and to be loved by others?
One study tracked a decline in social connections, linking all this to billions of dollars in health care costs. U.S. Surgeon General May 2, 2023.
There is something about relationships, social connectedness, and community life that is central to what it is to be human and flourish. So, while freedom and autonomy are essential values, there are trade-offs.
It’s been reflected in the attitude
Of other people just like you
Reach out and touch a hand
And make a friend if you can © Universal Music Publishing Group
Click —> REACH OUT AND TOUCH A HAND
