Social Connection and Mental Health
Our May 28th, 2026, our episode focused on social isolation and its impact on mental health, particularly among older adults. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Providing an overview, Maureen Feldman noted that one in three older adults reports feeling lonely, with loneliness linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Social disconnection does not just affect older adults; younger generations are struggling with this as well. Maureen also pointed out the social isolation suffered by family caregivers. “Humans are wired for connection.”
Kyle Rand explained Rendever’s use of virtual reality to combat social isolation, noting a 62% reduction in depression in dementia patients and a 67% reduction in caregiver burden. Kyle noted that the one stat that really sticks with people is that social isolation is as detrimental to one’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Rendever emphasizes the benefits of positive shared experiences to be the foundation of human connection.
Dana Griffin introduced Eldera.ai, which pairs adults over the age of 60 with young people, providing benefits to both sides of the pair, mental and physical health and fostering intergenerational relationships. “We believe (people over 60) are the holders of our humanity, they are the last generation who grew up without technology and can truly understand human values and can share human values.” “We have a community of these people all over the country who support each other in being better mentors, and because they are so values aligned, being part of Eldera and giving their time and wisdom to the next generation – They started forming friendships and going on walks and creating micro support circles so they can all age in place successfully. But we don’t do this through care, we do this through purpose and through meaning.”
Recorded on May 28, 2026, this episode is part of our Social Isolation and Mental Health Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.
Maureen Feldman, Social Isolation/Social Connection Expert; Founder and Chair, Los Angeles Social Isolation and Loneliness Impact Coalition; Producer and Host, USC Center for Advancing Family Caregiver Financial and Workplace Security; Adjunct Assistant Professor, LA Pierce College Encore Program; Contractor, American Parkinson’s Disease Assoc.
Kyle Rand, Co-Founder and CEO, Rendever
Rendever is an AgeTech Collaborative from AARP portfolio company
Dana A. Griffin, Co-Founder and CEO, Eldera; Board Member, Bright Focus Foundation
Resources:
Maureen Feldman has over 15 years of experience leading the field of social isolation and social connection, long before this was a topic in the aging community.
Kyle Rand has served as a principal investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies, including the Thrive Study, the world’s largest clinical trial using VR to engage families across cognitive decline. Kyle was named to Forbes 30 under 30 and led Rendever to become a TIME 100 Most Influential Company.
Press for Rendever and Kyle Rand
We mentioned our December podcast with Maddy Dychtwald, author of “Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan”
Maddy is coincidentally an early investor, mentor and board member for Eldera.
Press for Dana Griffin and Eldera
Featured by MSNBC, USA TODAY, The Atlantic, Boston Globe (front page), The Washington Post, and CNN named Eldera as one of their 2023 Good News of the Year. Eldera was highlighted as a Pro-Social Use of AI and a solution for loneliness in Aria Finger and Reid Hoffman’s podcast “Possible”.
MSNBC
USA Today
The Atlantic
Washington Post
CNN
Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger podcast Possible
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