- American older adults are experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness.

And while most adults say they value living near family, about half do not.

You see, the current generation of older adults lived in a time of strong community ties.

Nowadays, we barely know our neighbors and the days of Tupperware parties and bowling leagues, those are pretty much gone.

This shift in social dynamics has left many older adults feeling isolated and disconnected.

One study shows that the health risks of chronic loneliness are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes daily.

Is there a way to rewrite the story of social isolation into one of a vibrant community?

At least one group here in Greensboro, North Carolina, thinks so.

I'm David Hurst.

This is "ncIMPACT."

[upbeat music] Social isolation isn't just about feeling lonely, it's a silent killer.

During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, this was a huge issue.

More than half of people aged 50 to 80 reported feeling cut off from others.

But while these numbers have improved from the COVID days, it's still higher than before the pandemic.

In a recent, U.S.

Surgeon General called loneliness and isolation and epidemic.

- Here's why this is so concerning.

It's because we've realized that loneliness is more than just a bad feeling.

It has real consequences for our mental and physical health.

- [David] He says the government is spending an extra $6.7 billion on healthcare because of it.

But what if there was an unassuming cure already in our hands?

- I'm so grateful for my first set of crayons that I got when I was probably four of five.

[both laugh] And everybody in my family has nurtured me all along to, you know, to just have fun.

- Jean Muson received that gift 80 years ago when she was living in Jamaica, but she's since been in North Carolina to be closer to her son.

Let me ask, what does art mean to you?

- Hmm, that's a good question.

It means everything.

Art is the soul of a community.

I get goosebumps thinking about it.

Art just oozes out of everything.

- That belief in art's power to build community led Jean to the Creative Aging Network.

It's a 10-acre site where older adults can be in a creative environment.

But this isn't your typical art studio.

It's part of a healthcare approach called Arts on Prescription.

It's a healthcare approach where providers can prescribe arts, cultural, or nature experiences to improve patients' health and their wellbeing.

While Jean's enthusiasm for art's healing power might seem unusual, the idea itself isn't new.

It's part of a broader approach called social prescribing.

First popularized in Britain, it aims to improve health by connecting people with non-medical activities.

It's now being adopted in more than 20 other countries, including the U.S. where communities are launching their own pilot programs.

But this all raises an important question.

In an era of advanced technology and medicine, can something as simple as art really make a difference?

The Creative Aging Network thinks so, and they're finding that the power of art lies not only in the creating, but also in the connecting.

And so how much of this is art as having the power to heal versus art being a vehicle to get people connected, to get them into community?

- Right, so creative aging in and of itself is partly that, you know, creating a product that you're happy with.

But the other part of it is more therapeutic.

It is more about bringing people together to connect socially, having people have that vehicle to express their feelings in a healthy way.

- [David] At first glance, the Creative Aging Network might seem to just be for seniors, but their approach to aging is different.

- Well, we're all aging from the time we're born, every day we're getting older.

- [David] But I've got another question here.

How do you convince doctors to embrace this non-traditional approach?

Especially since prescribing art isn't exactly part of standard medical training?

Well, at Mustard Seed Community Health, providers are testing this new approach.

They found that traditional medical appointments often don't address underlying issues affecting their patients' health.

- I just think it's important that more and more people realize healthcare can't just be 15 minutes in a doctor in a pill.

That really, if you're gonna impact somebody's life, you gotta go deeper.

[gentle music] - [David] This is the Cottage Grove neighborhood in Southeast Greensboro.

It's here where Mustard Seed Community Health serves primarily low-income populations.

Their experience highlights both the potential and the challenges of art prescription programs.

- It always comes down to trust.

Especially, you know, I don't know you, I'll feel uncomfortable, I'm not really an artist.

What if people make fun of me?

So the hardest part is getting 'em out the door and getting them here.

And then once they come once, usually they're gonna stay 'cause they have a good time.

When you see somebody smiling who for the first six months you met 'em, never smiled.

And if you see them smiling, holding something they made, proud, it just, oh, it gives me chills.

- [David] But access to these programs remains a challenge, particularly for certain populations.

You see, Guilford County has one of the highest number of foreign-born residents in North Carolina.

Research indicates that immigrants experience higher rates of social isolation and depression, especially after leaving established social networks in their country of origin.

That's where faith communities like this one can play a part.

FaithAction International House partners with the Creative Aging Network and connects these vulnerable populations with a program that brings them out of isolation.

[Lidia speaking Spanish] [Lidia speaking Spanish] [Lidia speaking Spanish] [Lidia speaking Spanish] - [David] And as both an immigrant and an artist, Jean Muson has used her creative expression to build community.

- But it gives us a stronghold, you know, a root in this beautiful garden.

We can take root and blossom.

This is what I'm doing.

I'm blossoming in my mature years.

[both laugh] - And you still got a lot left, right?

[laughs] - I hope so.

I have a lot of work to do.

For "ncIMPACT," I'm David Hurst.