Loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults and are linked to measurable health effects, but they are not the same thing — isolation is an objective lack of contact, loneliness is the subjective distress of unmet connection. This page collects what the evidence shows about prevalence, health effects, and what helps, with Canadian context.
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Research
Loneliness and social isolation are related but distinct: social isolation is an objective lack of social contact that can be counted, while loneliness is the subjective distress of feeling that one's social connection falls short of what one wants. A person can be isolated without feeling lonely, and can feel lonely while surrounded by others — the distinction matters because the two call for different responses.