Still others claim the roots of loneliness go as far back as the advent of central heating; people no longer needed to gather around a fireplace in one room. All of these factors and more have likely contributed to what many psychologists call a loneliness epidemic. In the U.S., researcher Daniel Russell began studying loneliness in 1978 and cre- ated the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a measurement tool that has been used by researchers worldwide. In 2010, AARP used it to evaluate more than 3,000 U.S. citizens and found that 35 percent of people ages 45 and above were “chronically lonely.” AARP reports their study showed that people who have lower incomes are more likely to be lonely than those with higher incomes. And 55 percent of people who rated their health as “poor” were lonely, compared to 25 percent of people who said they were in “excellent” health. A Worldwide Problem L ast spring the Canadian Association of Retired Persons surveyed 5,300 of its age 55+ members throughout Canada. They found that 14 percent have no one to talk to, and 16 percent say they often lack companionship. Vancouver Foundation surveyed its city’s resi- dents last year and found that about 25 percent feel isolated. Studies in the United Kingdom show that 1.2 million older people there are “chronically lonely,” and two-fifths of older people say TV provides their main source of company, according the U.K.’s Campaign to End Loneliness. Several 8 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2018