CBC National recently asked this question.

They note:

Britain recently appointed a cabinet minister to try and find a solution for an increasing number of people who say they’re lonely. About 200,000 seniors in the U.K. say they haven’t had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month.

I was interviewed in the story.

The full clip here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/does-canada-need-a-loneliness-strategy-1.4492553