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Attend a free online retirement planning workshop. Register
It’s no secret that social isolation and loneliness are bad for our health. After all, research has suggested that prolonged social isolation and loneliness are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The UK has a minister for loneliness to oversee the national strategy to tackle the growing challenge. An RTOERO Foundation-funded report by the National Institute on Ageing broke down the scope of the challenge in Canada and offered recommendations on how we can move forward.
But what about you? How do you know if you’re socially isolated or lonely? The report also offered evidence-informed tools that you may find helpful if you want to evaluate your situation.
The Lubben Six-Item Social Network Scale is one tool that can help you quantify your level of social connections and social participation. A lower number means you are more likely to be socially isolated.
Family: Considering the people to whom you are related by birth, marriage, adoption, etc
| Questions | None | One | Two | Three or four | Five to eight | Nine or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. How many relatives do you see or hear from at least once a month? | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 2. How many relatives do you feel at ease with that you can talk to about private matters? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3. How many relatives do you feel close to such that you could call on them for help? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Friendships: Considering all of your friends, including those who live in your neighbourhood
| Questions | None | One | Two | Three or four | Five to eight | Nine or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. How many friends do you see or hear from at least once a month? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5. How many friends do you feel at ease with that you can talk to about private matters? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6. How many friends do you feel close to such that you could call on them for help? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Scoring: Total score is an equally weighted sum of these six items. Scores range from 0 to 30.
Answer the Hughes’ Three-Item Loneliness Scale questions to determine your level of loneliness. This simple scale is one of the tools available to evaluate loneliness.
| Questions | Hardly Ever | Some of the Time | Often |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. How often do you feel that you lack companionship? | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2. How often do you feel left out? | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3. How often do you feel isolated from others? | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Scoring: Sum the total of all items up to a max score of 9. Higher scores indicate greater loneliness
If these tools indicate that you may be experiencing social isolation or loneliness, you can choose to take action. When you’re already feeling isolated or lonely, taking the necessary steps to make changes can be challenging. You don’t need to do it alone. If you’re a member of RTOERO’s extended healthcare plan, you have access to coverage for social work or psychology services, and you can look for someone who can help you put a plan in place.
RTOERO members are always welcome to join the RTOERO Foundation’s weekly chat Chime In. It’s virtual, so might be a nice way to ease into increasing interaction.
You can also reach out to a trusted family member to have a conversation about your situation and ask for their help. We’ve offered some more concrete tips on our post called Social isolation and loneliness: what’s the difference, and what can we do?. The Canadian Mental Health Association also offers tips on coping with loneliness on their website.
Whatever you decide to do next, it might help to remind yourself that you’re not alone. Sadly, social isolation and loneliness are common. And so, as you start to reach out and expand your experiences, you may also be helping others who are in the same situation.
Watch your thoughts and inner dialogue right now and in the days to come. Give yourself the same compassion you might give a friend who came to you with this challenge. And remind yourself that you can take steps to overcome it – one day at a time. A few months from now, you could feel very differently.
The RTOERO Foundation runs a Social Isolation Awareness Month each October. Getting involved in our activities is a great way to both continue to learn about the issue and to help make an impact .
