“This is What Loneliness Looks Like”: A Description of a High-Risk Population of Palliative and Oncology Patients

Tamia Ross, Ruwanthi Ekanayake, Lucy Rabinowitz Bailey, Kain Kim, Emily Pinto Taylor, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Art Pharmacy, Department of Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®

Published online on January 20, 2026

Abstract

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundLoneliness exacerbates symptom burden and reduces quality of life in serious illness. Social prescribing–linking patients to non-clinical community activities–offers a novel approach to address loneliness in palliative care.ObjectivesTo describe ...