I am not lonely. Fortunately, I have a soul mate, my wife, Deborah. We are together all the time, and even that is not enough. I also have a close family and strong social connection. But so many others are lonely. I think the holiday season is a tough time. Everything is closed, but walking around, you can observe families celebrating the holidays together.  

Loneliness is an epidemic. It is estimated that as many as half of Americans experience loneliness. The Surgeon General of the USA, Vivek H. Murthy, published a paper on this crisis which I can recommend.. 

Click to access surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

I am an advisor and investor in an Israeli company, Wisdo, that addresses this issue. It has demonstrated the positive impact and consequent reduction of costs to insurance providers.  

As we approach 2024, I can say that I am proud to be working on four critical areas of health care: improvements in cancer detection and treatment, longevity, sleep health, and loneliness. 

I wish you a health, happy and productive 2024. For just a few minutes, I am going to let myself be optimistic about the future.