Owner of a Lonely Heart *

Posted by Darlene Kaskie on November 20th, 2023 Posted in: Blog

The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued an 81-page advisory called Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. COVID made our country acutely aware of living virtually while securely tucked away for months on end “social distancing.” From shopping online to working at home, technology enabled us to become less dependent on physical support structures. In his report, the Surgeon General addresses the toll on our individual and collective health from which various forms of social withdrawal wreak havoc.

As Community Engagement Coordinator for Region 6, I recognize the social determinants of health (SDOH), which is defined as the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. ** So the Surgeon General’s report did not surprise me because, in my role, I advocate for projects that involve community-led partnerships to address medical or wellness health information needs. It’s through these opportunities that I have seen a united cause give purpose, hope, and connection to folk who might not have found there way to each other under other circumstances. This alignment for a common good narrows health disparities as it expands respect and strength-building for diversity and underserved physical, emotional, and mental needs.

In addition to my work experience, I have personal insight. While living in a large metropolitan city in my twenties surrounded by work colleagues and new acquaintances, I still felt isolated and alone. Not understanding why I was personally struggling, I looked inward and sought therapy. Then I did something more. I ventured outward. I started volunteering for Little Sisters of the Poor. One evening each week, I visited Ms Alice. Living long into her eighties with a terminal cancer diagnosis, she had few relatives or outside friends coming to see her. We two lonely souls, albeit having our primary needs met such as food and shelter, were in individual despair. We each desired a deeper connection to a person with whom to confide and to listen. We wanted someone to “see us” – value us – know we existed and mattered in a large, vast world of uncertainity and confusion.

Whether or not you have felt loneliness or isolation, NIH, NLM and NNLM have resources to help you learn more about the human condition and discover, reflect, and connect for the health and wellness of yourself and others.

Resources

• NIH Common Fund Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) The National Institutes of Health is funding a first-of-its-kind community-led research program to study ways to address the underlying structural factors within communities that affect health, such as access to safe spaces, healthy food, employment opportunities, transportation, and quality health care. Through the program, NIH made 26 awards to community organizations and a coordinating center. Community organizations and their research partners will work together to develop a structural intervention, launch it within their communities, and then assess whether the intervention improves health outcomes.

• Social Wellness Toolkit (National Institutes of Health)
• Social Isolation and Loneliness Outreach Toolkit (National Institute on Aging)
• Community Guide to Advance Health Information Equity (NNLM Region 6)
• Connect with Others (Mental Health America)

Further Reading

• We Know the Cure for Loneliness. So Why Do We Suffer? Nicholas Kristof. Opinon. New York Times. September 6, 2023

References

* Owner of a Lonely Heart (official music video) YES. 90125 (1983). Sourced on September 25, 2023. Warning: Could have triggering imagery

** Social Determinants of Health. Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

ABOUT Darlene Kaskie
Darlene Kaskie, M.L.S. is Community Engagement Coordinator for Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. She connects communities to training, engagement, and funding to improve access, use, and understanding of health information. Advancing health literacy and digital skills training helps people make informed decisions about their health. She earned her Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) from the Medical Library Association.

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