‘What Happens Next?’: Can We End Loneliness?
We’ve all heard enough about global pandemics to last a lifetime, but some aren’t quite as headline-grabbing as others.
In last week’s episode of What Happens Next?, Monash University’s podcast, Dr Susan Carland’s expert guests explained why a loneliness crisis is sweeping the globe, and what its knock-on effects are. Isolation is connected to issues including addiction, violence, and anxiety and depression. It impacts the whole of sufferers’ lives, from their health and wellbeing, to their capacity to work.
Listen: Are We Lonelier Than Ever?
And it’s not just lonely individuals who are struggling. Those same effects have a measurable impact on society, affecting everything from our sense of social cohesion to the economy.
In today’s episode, you’ll discover why loneliness must be regarded as a public health priority. Find out some of the surprising ways we can tackle it, ranging from urban design, to government policy and support that includes every community member. You’ll also meet some of the changemakers working to destigmatise mental health issues, advocate for greater preventative measures to stop loneliness before it takes root, and encourage the infrastructural changes we need to facilitate better connection.
In part two of the What Happens Next? series on loneliness, Susan’s joined by federal MP Andrew Giles; life-course epidemiologist Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli; Dr Suzi Nielsen, Deputy Director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre; and mental health communicator David Pearce, founder of On the Low Down.
Read: Tackling mental health head-on
“If you think about how a lot of suburban housing estates are built, where you drive into your garage and walk from your garage into the living room, well, it's no surprise that many people don't know their neighbours, or perhaps didn't know their neighbours until the experience of lockdown gave them an opportunity to make those connections.”Andrew Giles MP
What Happens Next? will be back next week with a new topic.