"Thank you for speaking with me" she said.
"It was my pleasure." I replied.
"You see, I appreciate it because you may be the only person I speak to today."
I was so shocked, I asked her to repeat herself.
Who is Jean? Well, she is a delightful lady I met at the checkout yesterday. We bonded over our mutual love of broad beans after I asked her where she had found them (basket snooping keeps my brain ticking over during those endless check-out queue waits).
Under what circumstances would Jean be in the habit of going days on end without conversing with another soul? Her circumstances are typical of a cohort of Old Age Pensioners living in isolation in the UK today. Jean has family, but they are scattered across the UK and she doesn't make a fuss about their lack of contact as "they're so busy".
I wondered how many people, OAP or not, are in a similar state of reluctant isolation? During my lab dissertation days, I spent hours hunched over a microscope alone, a period of isolation which segued into literal use of our 24-hour libraries. Sure enough, there were days where I had not spoken to anyone for an extended period of time. I found myself losing perspective until my friends rescued me from this stress-inducing routine I had unwittingly fallen into.
There has been a surge in research into social isolation and its effects on all age-groups. As well as leading to higher health and social care services, social isolation has been found to predict mortality in general population samples and is 'comparable with the risk of cigarette smoking'! Socially isolated people are more likely to have early admission to residential care, and are at greater risk of morbidity.
Today, there is a paucity of our more tangible community galvanisers, such as gathering at church or community events, which could ameliorate the risk of social isolation. Perhaps, for the digital natives, social isolation need not be an issue as these physical gatherings are digitally dissolved by global online communities. However, one wonders: how meaningful will these links ultimately become for our health?
I'm meeting Jean this week for a walk and cup of tea. I can't bear to think of her not speaking to anyone due to a lack of opportunity. Her generation seems to be suffering most keenly from the effects of social isolation. I hope this inspires some of you to say hello to the woman with the frozen broad beans when you are next in a check out queue. You never know, you may be providing the only friendly word they will hear all day.