An end to loneliness
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By 2051, one in four New Zealanders — about 1.2 million people — will be aged 65 and over. A quarter of a million will be 85 or more.
The most pressing health issue they are likely to face will not be heart disease or diabetes — it will be loneliness. For many, their sole companion is the television.
Research suggests that loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Lonely people are more likely to suffer from dementia, heart disease and depression.
Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was moved to identify the link between loneliness and health: “During my years caring for patients the most common pathology I saw was not heart disease or diabetes — it was loneliness.”
On the other hand, people in supportive relationships have lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of oxytocin, the so-called “cuddle hormone”.
So how do we treat loneliness? A network in Britain has come up with a very simple approach — chatting to a neighbour for starters. The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness — named for the UK MP murdered as she walked to work — is The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness is named for the UK MP who was shot to death in the street.
engaged on a loneliness project in memory of the politician.
The commission has built links with groups involved with addressing loneliness to tackle the threat it poses
to people in their old age.
The basic formula is straightforward. Using the message “start a conversation”, the commission is trying to get people
Stakes and kidneys
Very few countries permit the sale of organs for transplants. The lack of a market has allowed a billion-dollar black market trade to flourish in which people with enough money can buy the organ they need, while thousands die waiting for a suitable body part.
Kidneys are most commonly sold organ, for the simple reason that humans have two and can live with one. The global trade sees organs harvested in Third World countries and sold to recipients for princely sums, with brokers taking the biggest cut.
Iran is one of the few countries without an organ shortage because
talking — over the fence to a neighbour, visiting an old friend or just making time to spend time with isolated people.
● On the web: jocoxloneliness.org
it allows the sale of kidneys from living donors.
The trade is regulated by Tehran, which pays for the surgery and follow-up care. Donors get about $6500 for their organ.
The Iran kidney market has eliminated waiting lists but is not without blemishes, including the reluctance of donors to get postoperative checks because of the stigma of selling a body part.
It is possible transplants will become easier with the use of transgenic stem cells, however, the science is costly and slow. An economic study found US citizens warmed to the idea of organ sales when they were informed of their benefits. Instead of waiting for stem cell saviours, the Iranian model could be an answer to suffering and premature death.