Loneliness. A complex and unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship. Loneliness is a worldwide epidemic. With so many of us are being distracted by the modern world, from phones and laptops, to Netflix and television, we don't realise what is staring us in the face. Millions of people are suffering. It can creep up on anyone and can infect them. Loneliness can spread throughout, contaminating the host's body and mind. It's commonly thought that loneliness can only infect you if you're always alone. But no. Even if they seem surrounded by people, surrounded by family and surrounded by friends, they may not be. People can still feel isolated and lonely. This is a major issue in society today and although it may be unspoken, it is a huge widespread occurrence in the modern-day. New Zealand is affected too. As a study has shown in 2017, one in five elderly New Zealanders say they are lonely.1 This number is only going to increase. Everyone is human and this could be you. We should value our kaumātua. We should value life. We should value and look after the elderly citizens. They are us and we will be them. The study surveyed about 72,000 New Zealanders and found that more than 15,000 identified as lonely - just over 20 per cent of those surveyed.1 It's truly an epidemic.
You may think that loneliness is just a phase and that it may be alright for some people as loneliness can be temporary, but for others, being lonely can relate to their physical wellbeing. A buildup of loneliness causes constant relenting stress creating very harmful effects for your health. So many reports have been done by doctors all around the world showing that loneliness is distressingly bad for your health. Some reports even saying it's “the world's biggest killer.” 2 Associate Professor Yoram Barak has concluded that, “Your chances of suffering from a stroke are about 30 per cent higher if you are lonely.”3 Loneliness is a major public health issue and is said to cause a reduction in lifespan, weaken the immune system, decrease the survival rate of heart disease and increase the chances of developing dementia and Alzheimer's. To me, that's truly heartbreaking. I feel deeply unsettled that this is what our kaumātua are going through. A former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy also claimed that loneliness was similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day - it can more than double the impact of obesity. 4 Elderly homes surprisingly are a solution. A good solution. They allow our elderly to interact, be taken care of and socialise which decreases their vulnerability to loneliness. Yet it still occurs. There are thousands of independent elderly still not being cared for. It's a distressing matter and something needs to change.
On the other hand, the worldwide epidemic of loneliness does not only have devastating consequences on the hosts physical health but it can spread, it can infect your mental wellbeing, it can consume your thoughts and feelings. New research retrieved from Dunedin Hospital has found a correlation between loneliness and poor mental health issues including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, stress and even in some cases even suicides. 5 We may be more connected globally than ever before with technology but it has also allowed people of all ages to become socially isolated and lonely too. Despite modern equipment allowing us to communicate with people from all around the world, share memories and online thoughts to loved ones, it's influencing our daily lives, impacting our face to face conversations and reducing our personal relationships too. Psychologically, there are so many issues with feeling isolated. Even just a few decades ago, our community was more approachable, sociable and tightly close together which enabled us to have social connections and bonds. Things certainly have changed but this allows more and more people to be susceptible at catching this virus. Elderly people are wise, full of knowledge and have lots of life experience. Yet they aren't looking after their mental health. This is equally as important as their physical health because they both can have serious and irreversible effects which would be devastating. Despite elderly people being one of the most susceptible groups of people to be affected by loneliness teenagers are too. The modern world can be a lonely place with the internet and social media being a daily influence in our lives. This has severe consequences particularly to mental wellbeing and can even lead to alcoholism, eating disorders and suicide. 7 This is shocking. Yet, together, this can be prevented. There is someone out there who understands, who cares, who appreciate what people are going through. They can be there for you. And you can be there for someone in need too. Our elderly homes are available opportunities to reconnect. The ability to help in a home is so fulfilling and plus, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from your own worries and connect with the people who have so much wisdom. We can learn from each other, laugh together and find the remedy to loneliness.
In many ways, loneliness has affected us in New Zealand. We have a rich landscape and lots of geographical features but it's the people that make it home. So many wonderful and joyful stories have been made here. Tales have been captured in the hearts of thousands but some have no one to share them with. These stories make up our history and we are just letting it go. Millions of people with millions of stories are being affected by loneliness. Surrounded by isolating thoughts. Yet, there are so many ways to counteract this epidemic of loneliness. Take me for example. I'm currently a Year 12 student in the middle of completing my (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) NCEAs. Yes I don't have much spare time and yes I have lots of extra activities, believe me, but every Tuesday, after school, I spend only one hour visiting the local elderly home. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world. So many wonderfully excited faces and expression of gratitude greet me every week. The thanks I get is so internally rewarding. Why wouldn't you? Some patients have been abandoned by their own family, by their friends, by their whanau but they are in a safe place filled with comforting, caring, happy people. To give greater happiness to the world, it starts with you. Understandably, it can be daunting to reach out. Elderly homes may seem quite upsetting, scary and intimidating, and that may be the case for some people but deep down in my heart, I know they’re life-changing places. For those that volunteer or to those that stay there, Aroha mai aroha atu.
Loneliness. A complex and unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship. But, there is a cure, a cure to this infectious disease, the disease of loneliness. To the people of New Zealand, I ask you, is this what we want our country to be like? Do our elders deserve this? For all that they’ve done for us, for our land, for our country is this how we shall repay them in their time of need? We need to acknowledge that loneliness is an issue and it's happening now, right under our noses. Right here, in New Zealand. It's a global issue and is affecting us too. In helping others, we help ourselves. End loneliness. We can only do this together. We have found the cure to loneliness. Within each one of us, we have the ability to change lives so why not take the time to volunteer or help out at your local rest home and make a difference. Be the change that kiwis need. Because We Are NOT Alone!
1 A stuff article titled “One in five elderly New Zealanders say they are lonely, study says” written by
Jake Fitzgibbon at 20:48, on Dec 13 2017.
2 2 World Health Organisation executive summary called “The state of world health” 18 September 2018
3Our changing world article by Alison Ballence9:07pm on 8th November 2018 quote from Associate Professor Yoram Barak, a psychogeriatrician in the Dunedin School of Medicine and at Dunedin Hospital.
4News article from Washington post titled “here’s a ‘loneliness epidemic’ and work is partly to blame” By Jena McGregor October 4, 2017 as she discussed former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy recent claims in an interview.
510 ways loneliness can affect your health — physically and mentally. (2019). INSIDER. Retrieved 7 August 2019, from https://www.insider.com/effects-loneliness-health-2018-6#loneliness-might-make-it-harder-to-interact-with-others-4
6New Studies Show Just How Bad Social Media Is For Mental Health. (2019). Forbes.com. Retrieved 7 August 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/11/16/new-research-shows-just-how-bad-social-media-can-be-for-mental-health/#2a2400627af4
7My Facebook feed shows me perfect lives, but not what's going on below the surface. (2019). Stuff. Retrieved 8 August 2019, from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/97081971/fly-high-is-social-media-fuelling-nzs-tragic-youth-suicide-rate