Social Isolation, Loneliness, and the Potential of Occupational Therapy as an Integrated Solution

Social isolation and loneliness (SIL) has been deemed an epidemic, with reports indicating dramatic increases in prevalence over the past decade. Despite the growing recognition of SIL as a public health crisis, current interventions remain insufficient to address the need. Occupational therapy practitioners are well positioned to screen for and address SIL, and preliminary evidence suggests that individual and group-based occupational therapy interventions hold promise in reducing SIL. The three aims of this Health Policy Perspectives column are to (1) describe the SIL epidemic in the United States, (2) analyze the strengths and limitations of current initiatives, and (3) identify occupational therapy interventions and approaches that may be integrated into current efforts to combat SIL in the United States.