Ep. 6: Social Isolation & Loneliness

About this Podcast 

‘Social Isolation & Loneliness’ is the sixth episode in our PCS Caregiving podcast series where we discuss a variety of family caregiver issues and how helping professionals can better serve military families as they PCS from their role as a spouse, friend, partner, or loved one to a caregiver.

There are differences between social isolation and loneliness. Social isolation is the objective lack of social contact with others – solitude. It’s (often) a choice. Think about someone who lives alone. Loneliness is the subjective feeling that you lack the social connections you need/want: the feeling of trust, closeness, trust, affection, sense of community, etc.

Tune in as guest speaker, Andrew Crocker, discusses how isolation, loneliness, and caregiving often go hand-in-hand.

Guest Bio

Andrew Crocker, M.S. is an Extension Program Specialist in Gerontology and Health at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His focus is to support education and outreach regarding the health and well-being of the aging population in the State of Texas. Andy’s main role is to support the County Extension Agents for Family and Community Health (FCH) in their outreach efforts to older adults, caregivers, and professionals who serve them. He is part of a national OneOp (MFLN) team of faculty from land-grant universities to provide professional development opportunities to military-helping professionals.

Host

Rachel Brauner, M.Ag., is an Extension Program Specialist in Military Programs at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Her focus is to enhance educational programming for military caregivers through OneOp (MFLN) initiative. Rachel works closely with military professionals across the nation in assessing caregiver needs and providing the necessary education and resources to alleviate the stress that comes with caring for individuals with special needs or wounded service members. Rachel is also responsible for providing prevention education for the Joint Base Substance Abuse Program at Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, Texas.