It was recently announced that the United Kingdom has appointed its first ever minister to combat loneliness. This is a big step, and an important issue, so it’s no surprise that it has been making headlines around the world.

This has raised the question, do we need our own minister of loneliness here in Canada or the USA? North American’s are facing the same epidemic proportions of loneliness and social isolation, and researchers agree it poses significant health risks.

The British government has said about 200,000 seniors have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in over a month. We can extrapolate that this same scenario is true in other parts of the world as well.

With experts warning that being chronically lonely is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, clearly something needs to be done.

Here in North America, Amintro is on the forefront of this issue. As a social community geared exclusively towards those fifty plus, it connects boomers and seniors with like-minded people in their own community.

This is important because you don’t have to be alone to feel lonely. In fact, a study out of British Columbia found that “almost half of the people living in care homes felt that they didn’t have a close friend or someone they could do things with”.

What we need are real connections with each other. And often, strong foundations and relationships are built on similar life experiences, interests and values.

Following years of research and with the help of numerous wonderful partnerships, Amintro has developed a process, based on input from experts in the field of sociology as well as mature adults, that helps you build a safe, private online profile that reflects who you are as a friend – and what you consider important characteristics in your friends, based on your personal experiences, likes and dislikes.

This is not a dating site. Through their profile members can identify where they were born, what languages they speak, what line of work they were (or are) in, and any other qualities that make them who they are.

Then, Amintro gets to work finding possible friendship matches. Full profiles will only become visible when both parties accept an invitation to connect. Then the instant messaging system can be used to securely and safely communicate with new friends.

Everyone benefits from social interactions, friendship and a sense of community. If you or someone you know is looking to get out, meet new people and live life to the fullest, join Amintro for free here or learn more about us, our community and how to become an Amintronian by following us on Twitter: @AmintroFriends, or liking us on Facebook: AmintroFriends.

By Christine Tompa