I was going into a state of depression,” Tandy said. “Line dancing has changed my life tremendously. One constant has been a weekly routine of line dancing classes. What started as companionship prescribed by the doctor blossomed into a friendship between Tandy and Oliver that’s been going on for more than three years now. Since the program’s launch in 2020, it has become part of the scope of health care services offered at the hospital for vulnerable patients. The goal is to cultivate meaningful friendships, provide companionship, and facilitate access to community resources, such as transportation and food banks. The hospital program connects patients who are at risk of social isolation and loneliness with volunteers from various religious organizations including churches and mosques. Oliver, 69, has helped more than a dozen other patients like Tandy since she volunteered with the Congregational Care Network, a program at the regional hospital system, Indiana University Health. As more attention has been brought to the impact of loneliness and social isolation on people’s mental and physical health, some researchers, congregations and health organizations are taking steps to address it as part of preventative care. adults experience loneliness –– and the impact is not equal based on age and demographics. “Since she's been in my life, we have just gotten so close, you will not believe the things that Amanda and I have in common,” Tandy said. That companion was Amanda Oliver, a volunteer. One remedy: a referral to a companion from the church who would check in on her over the phone. Tandy’s doctor recognized she was slipping into a sense of loneliness and depression. The stress and social isolation mandated by a global pandemic only made matters worse. Gladys Tandy, 71, was in a vulnerable state after grappling with the weight of a breast cancer diagnosis and the responsibility of caring for her stroke-stricken brother and ultimately losing him.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.