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Social Isolation and Loneliness

Even before the threat of COVID-19, the health implications of loneliness and social isolation started to garner attention. Social isolation has been linked with adverse health issues such as depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function, and impaired immunity.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, those serious health issues quickly became all too clear.

Early into the response period, when businesses, schools, churches, and many other social gathering locations were closing to reduce the risk of accelerating the spread of the virus, Episcopal Health Foundation joined several funders and higher education institutions to discuss concerns for individuals’ wellbeing as a result of social isolation.

EHF, St. David’s Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, The University of Texas, and Texas A&M University all joined in these important discussions. The goal was to determine whether there were existing best practices and/or program models to combat loneliness that relied on non-professional staff and/or volunteers and could be replicated or scaled that could be shared with churches and community organizations so they in turn could help congregants, community members, and neighbors who were suffering alone.

The group had conversations with several organizations and churches that provided critical insight into the work of social isolation:

  • Cigna
  • Interfaith Ministries, Houston
  • AARP Foundation
  • Texas Health Resource Foundation
  • Baker Ripley
  • St. James Episcopal Church, Austin
  • Calvary Episcopal Church, Bastrop

Additionally, the following sources were essential in the development of the guidelines as they provided context and insight into the need and work being done to address the need.

Researching the effects of social isolation showed a variety of health impacts. An expansive study, conducted in 2019, of more than 580,000 adults found that social isolation increases the risk of premature death for all races for every cause of death. According to the study, social isolation doubled the risk of early death for black participants and increased the risk among white participants by more than 60 percent.