A 72-year-old woman has been walking as many as 40,000 steps a day across the United States, and this week her route brought her through Philadelphia's Schuylkill River Park. Lucy Rose, founder of the Cost of Loneliness Project, is nearing the end of a cross-country trek meant to put a human face on what doctors describe as a growing epidemic of chronic loneliness.
Rose is walking across the United States to bring people together and make meaningful connections, according to CBS Philadelphia, which reported she covers 12 to 15 miles and roughly 40,000 steps on a typical day. The outlet reported she was 72 years old and had stopped in the city's Schuylkill River Park on Wednesday. Along the way, Rose said she has encountered people who were lonely, sad and broken over being lonely, the station reported.
The journey began in Santa Monica, California, where Rose started her 51-day “Walk With Me” journey on September 18, according to FOX8. CBS Philadelphia reported the route passes through 17 states. Coverage of the journey's travel mode has varied: WIBW described Rose as traveling the nation entirely on foot when her route passed through Topeka, while a project announcement carried by the Chinook Observer described the planned journey as covering more than 45 cities and towns across 17 states by foot and by vehicle.
A Mission Rooted in Personal Experience
Rose founded the Cost of Loneliness Project after her own experience with chronic loneliness, according to a GlobeNewswire release published by the Manila Times. She has described chronic loneliness as a feeling of not belonging, telling the Nemours Well Beyond Medicine podcast that it is “the negative emotion that someone may feel over time when they're not being fulfilled with the emotional needs that they have. They don't feel seen. They don't feel like they belong.” Salem College, where Rose has ties, reports that she founded the project in 2017.
Rose is not new to long-distance awareness walks. In 2021, she joined Salem alumnae and friends in retracing a historic journey, with the group covering 500 miles over 29 days, according to Salem College. Earlier last month, she returned to Winston-Salem, where community members joined her for a 1.5-mile walk starting at Bailey Park and ending at East of Texas on South Broad Street, as reported by ABC45.
Doctors Point to a Worsening Crisis
Doctors say the loneliness epidemic is growing, and the numbers back up that concern. A 2023 advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General found that about one in two American adults experiences measurable loneliness, according to the Manila Times release. A Harvard survey conducted in 2020 found that 61% of adults ages 18 to 25 reported serious loneliness, compared with 39% of adults overall, USA Today reported.
Loneliness among adults ages 50 to 80 rose from 27% in October 2018 to 56% in June 2020, before falling to 34% in January 2023, per the same USA Today report. An AARP survey of about 3,300 American adults found that 37% of women and 42% of men said they felt lonely, according to SELF. Heather Nawrocki has said people are reporting fewer friends and less involvement in groups, a trend that tracks with the broader data on social withdrawal.
The Physical Toll of Isolation
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said loneliness carries serious effects on physical and mental health. USA Today's report on the Surgeon General's advisory found that loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26% and social isolation by 29%. The same report noted that continuing to live in loneliness is considered equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
A National Day of Connection Set for November 12
Rose's walk is scheduled to culminate in New York City on November 12, when the Cost of Loneliness Project plans to launch its inaugural National Day of Connection, according to FOX8. The project is asking people nationwide to spend at least 12 intentional minutes at noon local time connecting with someone they care about, per the Manila Times release. Rose has said her goal is to help people learn ways to make meaningful connections as the walk nears its final days.
