Social isolation is increasingly recognized as a public health issue. Studies show that isolation and loneliness puts people at a higher risk of long term physical and mental health problems, including premature mortality. And Henning-Smith's preliminary research suggests that in rural areas, isolation can reduce people's ability to meet daily needs, like access to health care and food.
A group in northeastern Minnesota is tackling this problem in a novel way: They're trying to reconnect a fragmented social fabric by bringing together generations to support each other — kids and the elderly.