Can a prescription cure loneliness and isolation?

In today’s Big Story Podcast, research shows that loneliness and isolation are real health issues for many people. If only doctors could prescribe a drug that could reconnect someone with their community and help them feel more alive and happier. Turns out, this does exist. It’s not a new pharmaceutical; it’s something much simpler.

Sonia Hsiung is the director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing. “The solutions could be anything that ranges from food to things like bereavement support group, coffee club locally, a walk in nature, visiting the museum,” says Hsiung.

Would we all be better off if we could get a prescription for a walk in the woods? Or coffee with a friend? And could such a simple thing save our healthcare system millions of dollars?

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