Community as Medicine: The Benefits of Social Prescribing S1E7
Release Date: 05/02/2023
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info_outlineIn this episode of the Well Nurtured Brain, Dr. Pamela Hutchison discusses the big topic of social prescribing. Social prescribing is a practice that involves healthcare professionals referring patients to non-medical community activities, such as social clubs, volunteering opportunities, and exercise classes, as a way to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
In today's episode we'll discuss:
- How social isolation and loneliness impact health including both physical and mental health.
- What’s being shown in studies since the pandemic regarding brain health post social isolation.
- Why this is clinically relevant and how we can shift the narrative
Episode Resources:
Tools for clinicians
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https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/everyone_project/action-plan.pdf
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https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/everyone_project/hops19-physician-form-sdoh.pdf
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UCLA Loneliness Scale https://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Loneliness_and_Interpersonal_Problems_UCLA_LONELINESS_REVISED.pdf
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Canada 211 https://211.ca/
Studies cited or used as resources for episodes
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Nowak, D. A., & Mulligan, K. (2021). Social prescribing: A call to action. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 67(2), 88–91. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.670288
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Perlman D., Peplau L.A. Toward a social psychology of loneliness. Pers. Relatsh. 1981;3:31–56.
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Hutten, E., Jongen, E. M. M., Vos, A. E. C. C., van den Hout, A. J. H. C., & van Lankveld, J. J. D. M. (2021). Loneliness and Mental Health: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Social Support. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(22), 11963. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211963
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Cacioppo, J. T., & Cacioppo, S. (2018). Loneliness in the modern age: An evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL). In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 58, pp. 127-197). Academic press.
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McWhirter B.T. Loneliness: A review of current literature, with implications for counseling and research. J. Couns. Dev. 1990;68:417–422. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1990.tb02521.x.
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Subramanian, I., Farahnik, J. & Mischley, L.K. Synergy of pandemics-social isolation is associated with worsened Parkinson severity and quality of life. npj Parkinsons Dis. 6, 28 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-020-00128-9
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Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB (2010) Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLoS Med 7(7): e1000316. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
Additional resources
WHO Social determinants of health https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1
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