{"id":1,"date":"2016-09-05T00:05:51","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T22:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\/?p=1"},"modified":"2021-08-02T00:57:05","modified_gmt":"2021-08-01T22:57:05","slug":"researchers-confront-an-epidemic-of-loneliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\/?p=1","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"css-1vwzign e12qa4dv0\">\r\n<div class=\"css-xt80pu eakwutd0\" data-testid=\"byline-timestamp\">\r\n<div class=\"css-1sowyjy\">\r\n<div class=\"css-vp77d3 epjyd6m0\">\r\n<div class=\"css-1baulvz\">BLACKPOOL, England \u2014 The woman on the other end of the phone spoke lightheartedly of spring and of her 81st birthday the previous week.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cWho did you celebrate with, Beryl?\u201d asked Alison, whose job was to offer a kind ear.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cNo one, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">And with that, Beryl\u2019s cheer turned to despair.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Her voice began to quaver as she acknowledged that she had been alone at home not just on her birthday, but for days and days. The telephone conversation was the first time she had spoken in more than a week.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">About 10,000 similar calls come in weekly to an unassuming office building in this seaside town at the northwest reaches of England, which houses The\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thesilverline.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Silver Line Helpline<\/a>, a 24-hour call center for older adults seeking to fill a basic need: contact with other people.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Loneliness, which Emily Dickinson described as \u201cthe Horror not to be surveyed,\u201d is a quiet devastation. But in Britain, it is increasingly being viewed as something more: a serious public health issue deserving of public funds and national attention.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"css-16l7vy9\" data-testid=\"inline-message\" aria-live=\"polite\">\r\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Working with local governments and the National Health Service, programs aimed at mitigating loneliness have sprung up in dozens of cities and towns. Even fire brigades have been trained to inspect homes not just for fire safety but for signs of social isolation.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s been an explosion of public awareness here, from local authorities to the Department of Health to the media,\u201d said Paul Cann, chief executive of Age UK Oxfordshire and a founder of\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.campaigntoendloneliness.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Campaign to End Loneliness<\/a>, a five-year-old group based in London. \u201cLoneliness has to be everybody\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Researchers have found mounting evidence linking loneliness to physical illness and to functional and cognitive decline. As a\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/pps.sagepub.com\/content\/10\/2\/227.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">predictor of early death<\/a>, loneliness eclipses obesity.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cThe profound effects of loneliness on health and independence are a critical public health problem,\u201d said Dr. Carla M. Perissinotto, a geriatrician at the University of California, San Francisco. \u201cIt is no longer medically or ethically acceptable to ignore older adults who feel lonely and marginalized.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">In Britain and the United States, roughly one in three people older than 65 live alone, and in the United States, half of those older than 85 live alone. Studies in both countries show the prevalence of loneliness among people older than 60 ranging from 10 percent to 46 percent.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">While the public, private and volunteer sectors in Britain are mobilizing to address loneliness, researchers are deepening their understanding of its biological underpinnings. In a\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/abstract\/S0092-8674(15)01704-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper<\/a>\u00a0published earlier this year in the journal Cell, neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology identified a region of the brain they believe generates feelings of loneliness. The region, known as the dorsal raphe nucleus, or D.R.N., is best known for its link to depression.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Kay M. Tye and her colleagues found that when mice were housed together, dopamine neurons in the D.R.N. were relatively inactive. But after the mice were isolated for a short period, the activity in those neurons surged when those mice were reunited with other mice.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is the first time we\u2019ve found a cellular substrate for this experience,\u201d said Dr. Tye, an assistant professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at M.I.T. and a senior author of the paper. \u201cAnd we saw the change after 24 hours of isolation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">John T. Cacioppo, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and director of the university\u2019s Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, has been studying loneliness since the 1990s. He said loneliness is an aversive signal much like thirst, hunger or pain.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cDenying you feel lonely makes no more sense than denying you feel hunger,\u201d he said. Yet the very word \u201clonely\u201d carries a negative connotation, Professor Cacioppo said, signaling social weakness, or an inability to stand on one\u2019s own.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">The unspoken stigma of loneliness is amply evident during calls to The Silver Line. Most people call asking for advice on, say, roasting a turkey. Many call more than once a day. One woman rings every hour to ask the time. Only rarely will someone speak frankly about loneliness.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Yet the impulse to call in to services like The Silver Line is a healthy one, Professor Cacioppo said.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">On a recent afternoon, Tracey, a Silver Line adviser, listened as a caller in his 80s embarked on a nostalgic trip down his list of favorite films. The next caller serenaded Tracey with \u201c<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scoutsongs.com\/lyrics\/beautifulmorning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oh What a Beautiful Morning<\/a>,\u201d on his harmonica.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Once the harmonica player had hung up, a call came in from an 88-year-old man with an avalanche of memories to share: dogs he had owned, boats he had captained, London during the blitz. Tracey, a former nurse, listened patiently for 30 minutes.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cIt can be really fascinating when people talk about things like London during the bombing,\u201d she said after the call ended. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember the rich lives people have led.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Silver Line workers leave it up to the caller to mention whether they are feeling lonely. Still, the advisers are trained to listen for signs of unhappy isolation, and gently lead the conversation accordingly, perhaps offering to link the caller to a Silver Line Friend, a volunteer who makes weekly phone calls or writes letters to those who request it.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Sophie Andrews, chief executive of The Silver Line, said she was surprised by the explosion of calls shortly after the service began operating nearly three years ago. The Blackpool call center now receives some 1,500 calls a day.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Ms. Andrews said she was most concerned not about those who called The Silver Line, but those who were too depressed by their isolation to pick up the phone. \u201cWe need to raise awareness with the people who are the hardest to reach,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Professor Cacioppo lauds efforts like The Silver Line, yet he warns that the problem of loneliness is nuanced and the solutions not as obvious as they might seem. That is, a call-in line can help reduce feelings of loneliness temporarily, but is not likely to reduce levels of chronic loneliness.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">In his\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/531897cde4b0fa5080a9b19e\/t\/555601d9e4b0849a888ed857\/1431699929973\/toward-a-neurology-of-loneliness.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research<\/a>, Professor Cacioppo has shown that loneliness affects several key bodily functions, at least in part through overstimulation of the body\u2019s stress response. Chronic loneliness, his work has shown, is associated with increased levels of cortisol, a major stress hormone, as well as higher vascular resistance, which can raise blood pressure and decrease blood flow to vital organs.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Professor Cacioppo\u2019s research has also shown that the danger signals activated in the brain by loneliness affect the production of white blood cells; this can impair the immune system\u2019s ability to fight infections.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">It is only in the past several years that loneliness has been examined through a medical, rather than psychological or sociological, lens. Dr. Perissinotto, the University of California, San Francisco geriatrician, decided to study loneliness when she began to sense there were factors affecting her patients\u2019 health that she was failing to capture.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Using data from a large national survey of older adults, in 2012 Dr. Perissinotto analyzed the relationship between self-reported loneliness and health outcomes in people older than 60. Of 1,604 participants in\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/archinte.jamanetwork.com\/article.aspx?articleid=1188033\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the study<\/a>, 43 percent reported feelings of loneliness, and these individuals had significantly higher rates of declining mobility, difficulty in performing routine daily activities, and death during six years of follow-up. The association of loneliness with mortality remained significant even after adjusting for age, economic status, depression and other common health problems.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Dr. Perissinotto is also interested in examining the link between loneliness and suicidal thoughts, as there has been little research in that area. She hopes to study\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ioaging.org\/services\/all-inclusive-health-care\/friendship-line\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Friendship Line<\/a>, a 24-hour, toll-free, loneliness call-in line run by the Institute on Aging in San Francisco that is also a suicide prevention hotline.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Although plenty of research into loneliness takes place in the United States, Britain remains well ahead in addressing the problem.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cIn the U.S., there isn\u2019t much recognition in terms of public health initiatives or the average person recognizing that loneliness has to do with health,\u201d said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, whose studies also link loneliness to deteriorating health.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ageuk.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Age UK<\/a>, an organization similar to AARP in the United States, oversees an array of programs aimed at decreasing loneliness and coordinates efforts with fire brigades to look for signs of loneliness and isolation in the homes they enter.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Another charity,\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.openage.org.uk\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Open Age<\/a>, runs some 400 activities each week in Central London \u2014 sewing circles, current events discussions, book clubs and exercise and computer classes, held at church halls, sport centers, housing projects \u2014 and its employees also visit people in their homes to try to get them out and about.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cWe try to work out what it is that\u2019s preventing them from leaving the house,\u201d said Helen Leech, the organization\u2019s director.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Men and women differ greatly in how they grapple with loneliness. Seventy percent of the calls to The Silver Line are from women.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\r\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cWe have this kind of male pride thing,\u201d said Mike Jenn, 70, a retired charity worker who lives in London. \u201cWe say, \u2018I can look after myself. I don\u2019t need to talk to anyone,\u2019 and it\u2019s a complete fallacy. Not communicating helps to kill us<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Mr. Jenn runs a \u201cMen\u2019s Shed\u201d in London\u2019s Camden Town district, which aims to bring older men together in a more familiar and comfortable environment \u2014 working side by side in a woodworking shop. The concept began in Australia and has since spread to Britain: There are now more than 300\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/menssheds.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Men\u2019s Sheds<\/a>\u00a0throughout England, Scotland and Ireland.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Keith Pearshouse, 70, a retired school principal, discovered the Men\u2019s Shed near his home after moving to London from Norfolk, England, in 2007 and recognizing he was lonely.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cI was a bit anxious walking into a roomful of people,\u201d said Mr. Pearshouse, chatting amid the din created by a table saw, router and lathe at the Camden Town shed, a 700-square-foot workshop in a local community center. \u201cBut I immediately thought, \u2018Yeah, this is a place that would work for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Mr. Pearshouse, who had never worked with wood before he discovered the Men\u2019s Shed, showed a visitor a delicate wooden jar he was finishing. The pieces he produces are gratifying, he said, but not nearly as gratifying as the human connections he has made.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">While Mr. Pearshouse is still a long way from sharing every little ache and upset with his friends at the shed, he said his life would now feel much emptier without the shoulder-to-shoulder way of confiding he has come to know. As he spoke, he took the lid off his jar, and it gave a slight pop, signifying a perfect fit.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\r\n<div class=\"css-1ubp8k9\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"css-13ldwoe\"><em><strong>A version of this article appears in print on\u00a0<span class=\"css-1dmwf73\" data-testid=\"todays-date\">Sept. 6, 2016<\/span>, Section\u00a0D, Page\u00a01\u00a0of the New York edition\u00a0with the headline:\u00a0Healing the Lonely.\u00a0<br \/><span class=\"byline-prefix\">By\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"css-1baulvz last-byline\"><a class=\"css-hogf08 e1jsehar0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/katie-hafner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Katie Hafner<\/a><\/span><br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BLACKPOOL, England \u2014 The woman on the other end of the phone spoke lightheartedly of spring and of her 81st birthday the previous week. \u201cWho did you celebrate with, Beryl?\u201d asked Alison, whose job was to offer a kind ear. \u201cNo one, I\u2026\u201d And with that, Beryl\u2019s cheer turned to despair. Her voice began to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-10","description-off"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness - Long Live the Elderly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\/?p=1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness - Long Live the Elderly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BLACKPOOL, England \u2014 The woman on the other end of the phone spoke lightheartedly of spring and of her 81st birthday the previous week. \u201cWho did you celebrate with, Beryl?\u201d asked Alison, whose job was to offer a kind ear. \u201cNo one, I\u2026\u201d And with that, Beryl\u2019s cheer turned to despair. Her voice began to&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\/?p=1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Long Live the Elderly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-04T22:05:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-01T22:57:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/isolation.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"923\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"pierpaolo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"pierpaolo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"pierpaolo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53150e638c86610f6f46260f58b4e711\"},\"headline\":\"Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-04T22:05:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-01T22:57:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1\"},\"wordCount\":1815,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/isolation.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1\",\"name\":\"Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness - Long Live the Elderly\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/isolation.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-04T22:05:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-01T22:57:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53150e638c86610f6f46260f58b4e711\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/isolation.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/isolation.jpg\",\"width\":1385,\"height\":923},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/?p=1#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.longlivetheelderly.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Long Live the Elderly\",\"description\":\"News, documents, defense of rights and life quality for the elderly. 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