Community as Medicine: The Benefits of Social Prescribing

In 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:

1. How social isolation and loneliness impact health including both physical and mental health.

2. What’s being shown in studies since the pandemic regarding brain health post social isolation.

3. Why this is clinically relevant and how we can shift the narrative

Episode References: 

Tools for clinicians

•  A Social History Tool using the IF-IT-HELPS mnemonic

• https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/everyone_project/action-plan.pdf

• https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/everyone_project/hops19-physician-guide-sdoh.pdf

• https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/everyone_project/hops19-physician-form-sdoh.pdf

• UCLA Loneliness Scale https://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Loneliness_and_Interpersonal_Problems_UCLA_LONELINESS_REVISED.pdf

• Canada 211 https://211.ca/

Studies cited or used as resources for episodes

• 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

• Perlman D., Peplau L.A. Toward a social psychology of loneliness. Pers. Relatsh. 1981;3:31–56. 

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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