Building healthy social connections, between generations -Carl Lavin + the Eldera team

Healthier, happy individuals, stronger communities. For three years that has been our Eldera mission as we create healthy social connections across generations. Now the federal government, the scientific community and the medical establishment have provided the research to show that Eldera and other programs strengthening social connections create these benefits.

We are grateful to the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who today released his 82-page report on loneliness and social connections. A key finding: “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health.”

Dr. Murthy’s study reminds us of the damage. Loneliness is associated with higher levels of heart disease, dementia, stroke, and depression, with a premature mortality rate similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Eldera is an online platform that brings together mentors 60 years old and older with young people for weekly sessions. It has demonstrated the power of social connections. We welcome Dr. Murthy’s call for communities, health care providers, insurance companies, technology companies and others to collaborate in the mission that drives our work – to replace isolation with purpose, to build healthy connections, to create strong, safe intergenerational relationships.

The Surgeon General’s report today was presented with the importance of previous reports from that office about other health calamities. He said the United States has “an opportunity, and an obligation, to make the same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity, and the addiction crisis.”

The report added that “our epidemic of loneliness and isolation is a major public health concern.” The details are stark, according to the report, which said that poor social relationships and isolation can increase an individual’s risk of heart disease by 29% and the risk of stroke by 32%. Social isolation among older adults leads to increased hospital and nursing costs that amount to an estimated $6.7 billion in excess Medicare spending annually, the report found. The risks compound at both ends of the age spectrum. Research noted in the report found that childhood social isolation is associated with such increased cardiovascular risk factors as obesity, high blood pressure, and blood glucose levels in adulthood. 

Dr. Murthy was clear about the benefits that come from programs that strengthen connections, saying that “social connection is like a garden, nurturing your connections can improve your garden’s health.” Increases in social connections bring reduced risks across a range of health issues. Eldera is focused on exactly those nurturing connections. The connections enabled by Eldera and other programs are significant predictors of longevity and better physical, cognitive, and mental health. 

Older people with deeper connections are healthy in mind and body and contribute more to their communities. Younger people with higher levels of connections as teens are more likely to engage in civic activity as adults, from voting to community action.

Among the many recommendations is one that resonates with us: invest in pro-connection technology. Eldera was conceived, designed and built from the start to create safe connections that reduce loneliness and increase purpose. Another set of recommendations is to support such evidence-based practices as peer-led programs and partnerships with community groups, opportunities for youth mentoring and volunteerism, which drives a virtuous cycle of service and connectedness. Examples would include the intergenerational friendships created by Eldera. 

What Eldera imagines is the world described by Dr. Murthy in his report: “a world where we respect and value one another, where we look out for one another, and where we create opportunities to uplift one another. A world where our highs are higher because we celebrate them together; where our lows are more manageable because we respond to them together.”

With your support, that is the world we are building.

- Carl Lavin + The Eldera Team