In several studies, loneliness has been strongly associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults. This subjective experience — a discrepancy between the desired or expected and actual level of social interaction (1) — may lead to increased mortality, and increased use of health services (2). Strong association with health outcomes and high prevalence of loneliness among many groups of people has given rise a need to use scales and questionnaires to measure and address loneliness. However, assessing loneliness is not yet a routine in medical care. It has considered to be beyond the scope of care practices (3). Despite the fact that loneliness can be seen as one of the “geriatric giants”, older adults are seldom asked about loneliness and professionals do not have an approach to support them (4). This contradiction between knowledge and practice may be seen as a paradox, which should rapidly change.

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Jansson, A., Strandberg, T. Screening — An Important Starting Point for Effective Loneliness Interventions among Older Adults. J Nutr Health Aging 26, 419–420 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1795-7