In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an urgent advisory, educating the country on the loneliness epidemic.
With this advisory, the American Medical Association was directed to develop educational programs about the impacts of social isolation, issue tools and resources for clinicians to identify and address loneliness, and work collaboratively with other organizations and agencies to improve social support for patients.
“Identifying loneliness and social isolation, especially among older adults, calls for stepped-up vigilance,” said Dr. Peter A. Hollmann, geriatrician and chief medical officer for Brown Medicine, at the 2023 AMA annual meeting.
And that’s where Life Story Club comes in.
The Brooklyn, New York-based nonprofit uses storytelling in an innovative hybrid of technology, healthcare, and human connection to boost health and wellness in older adults.
Every week, participants log onto a Zoom call, where a facilitator offers up two prompts (examples might include “What was the greatest historical event you lived through?” or “Did your parents have a story about you they loved to tell?”).
Then, other members of the club take turns sharing stories. They are also given the opportunity to record and preserve their stories to be added to a digital library or shared with loved ones.
Participants can join a Life Story Club on their own volition, but the organization also partners with healthcare teams to help older adults who are especially at risk of loneliness and social isolation.
It’s part of an emerging model of medical care called “social prescribing.” Similar to concepts like nature prescriptions and museum prescriptions, social prescribing includes non-clinical interventions or activities to improve a patient’s well-being and health.
Out of 120 existing clubs that reach over 1,200 individuals ages 60+, 82% of participants reported feeling less lonely, 95% felt supported by their club, and 92% said they feel a sense of community. 93% also experienced mood improvement since joining.
“Life Story Club was created to address a gap in our country by connecting older adults in NYC to share stories and build meaningful friendships,” said the organization’s executive director, Dr. Jennifer Wong.
“No one should face aging alone, and it is so important to bring a sense of belonging and connection to older adults.”
A quarter of Life Story Club participants come through the StoryRx program, which only started in August of 2024. Since then, 80 referrals have been placed in their own club through hospital systems like the Cleveland Clinic and Montefiore.
“I just had a conversation with a patient, and we talked about the deep loneliness she was experiencing,” said Dr. Mirnova Ceide, a gerontology specialist with Montefiore, adding that her patient felt a lack of intimacy in her relationships.
“Sometimes you have people around, but the quality of the interaction was not safe enough for her to share what she’s really feeling,” Dr. Ceide added.
But having sat in on previous Life Story Club meetings, she knew where to direct her patient.
“The Life Story Club facilitators are able to read the virtual room and are really good about bringing people in,” Dr. Ceide said. “There were conversations I really would not have expected people who didn’t know each other outside of Zoom to be able to go into, where they were able to share really difficult parts of their lives.”
As profound as these connections are, the data behind them is especially moving.
The Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory noted that loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is linked to a 50% increased risk of dementia and a 30% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. All of these numbers represent a significantly increased risk of early death.
But social connection offers a 50% boost to survival odds, meaning older adults especially could have a renewed chance at a longer life through social prescriptions like StoryRx.
“This [my Life Story Club] keeps me alive,” participant Ragaa M. said in a testimonial. “Waiting every week for Friday keeps me alive. I have so many stories to share! I wish there were two Fridays a week.”
Life Story Club also facilitates in-person meetings to foster deeper connections and reinforce relationships built in virtual gatherings. Partnering with Citymeals on Wheels, the organization serves up food with a side of storytelling on these occasions.
It is here that the sharing comes full circle and turns into a celebration of life and love.
“I love the stories. I love the different people to meet, and there’s always different stories,” participant Michael Gaines said in a testimonial.
“I'm really happy that it’s available to us to be able to go back into your childhood,” he added. “Life Story [Club] is beautiful.”
Header image courtesy of Life Story Club
