Social Impact

Social isolation is defined as loneliness that can affect health with socially isolated individuals having less day-to-day contact with others, fewer fulfilling relationships, and an overall lack of a sense of belonging. According to the Surgeon General of the United States, social isolation is a growing epidemic and is associated with “a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day”.

The perception of sound, when no actual external noise is present, is commonly referred to as tinnitus, and it is much more common than people think. According to Statistics Canada (2019), approximately 37% of adult Canadians (or approximately 9.2 million people) have experienced it in the past year. Most patients describe it as the perception…