The power of friendship

Also: Testing your genes for cancer risk is way cheaper now [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 8, 2023 Hi CommonHealth reader, When’s the last time you called a friend to chat? A growing body of research suggests spending time with friends, even on the phone, can be good for our health. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recommends spending [15 minutes a day]( connecting with a friend or relative. But [making friends]( — and finding time to spend with them — is not always easy. It requires time and resources. And people with disabilities are among those who experience the highest rates of loneliness and isolation, according to a recent [advisory from the surgeon general.]( This is where the Friendship Project comes in. It’s an initiative from Advocates, a Framingham-based human services agency that serves people with disabilities and mental health conditions. The project links Advocates' clients with people from the community who volunteer to be their friends. They go out for coffee, run errands or just chat at home. I recently met a pair who became friends through this initiative. Jason Silverman, 38, lives in Wayland and has Down syndrome. He enjoys spending time with others, but getting out can be hard. Melissa Mills, 43, lives in Uxbridge, works in human resources for the state and enjoys volunteering. They both happen to love going to the gym. Now, they regularly go together. They usually start at the treadmills, then head to the bicycles, then take a lunch break before visiting the pool. "We laugh and don't worry about anything when we're together," Mills told me. "There's no stress; there's no pressure. We're just here to hang out." Silverman doesn’t talk a lot, but he communicates with Mills by grinning, sighing and sometimes clutching her arm. His mother and primary caretaker, Stephanie Lynch, told me the outings have helped boost his self-esteem. "He's definitely happier. He looks forward to it," Lynch said. Jeff Keilson, senior vice president of strategic planning at Advocates, said the goal is to help people feel better, mentally and physically. "People are so isolated and so lonely, and that has such a negative impact on their quality of life," he told me. "If there's ways that we could support people by connecting them with others, then we absolutely should do that." This effort is not just about the joys that friendship can bring. The absence of social connection is linked to [increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia and depression](. Health care providers and insurance companies increasingly are taking note. Advocates launched the Friendship Project with state and federal grant funds during the pandemic. It has enrolled dozens of participants and recently started working with some health insurers to expand the program beyond people with disabilities. We'll have more coverage on this topic in the coming days, on air and on wbur.org. Stay tuned. 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