ABOUT

Hi! My name is Patricia!

Social isolation is a serious, but underappreciated health risk with a wide-range of psychological and physical consequences that affects everyone, from children to the elderly.

In 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced governments across the globe to implement strict stay-at-home orders and social distances restrictions, which led to an unprecedented form of social isolation. Businesses, schools, parks and beaches where closed all over the world while citizens were mandated to quarantine at home. For months, people were physically and socially isolated from one another; weddings, graduations and birthday celebrations were canceled. Visiting loved ones was banned. Unless you were considered an "essential worker", you were not allowed to leave your home.

Although necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19, the restrictions caused an increased in social isolation and loneliness. For many people, the lack of human interaction and connection imposed by the restrictions led to their first time experiencing any form of social isolation, while for those who had previously felt isolated, these measures provided a chance for understanding the impacts of social isolation on a global scale.

As a woman living with a rare medical condition, I was no stranger to social isolation prior to the pandemic, yet finally it seemed that others understood my feelings of loneliness, depression and isolation. I was not alone in being alone.

The Socially Isolated podcast seeks to raise awareness of and explore the impact of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic by being an open space where individuals can share their experiences with social isolation.