Patrick Maliha was married for 15 years. In his mid-40s, he found himself divorced and living alone for the first time. Soon, profound loneliness set in. He tells Piya why he thinks it's particularly difficult for middle-aged men to open up about feeling lonely and take steps to confront it.

When Audrey Poulin gave birth to her first child, she knew her life was going to change. She just didn't know how lonely it would make her feel. Audrey tells Piya about how you can still feel lonely while surrounded by loved ones, the role social media played in her loneliness, and how she harnessed technology to fight it.

For 23 years, Evie Wallace's husband Hugh struggled with multiple sclerosis, gradually losing his ability to walk, see, and eventually talk. During that time, Evie says loneliness became her constant companion. She explains how, after Hugh chose to die, she was finally able to tackle what she felt she couldn't for years.

Every Wednesday, a van comes to pick up Clara Mottershead, Delia Hughes and Irene Little from their homes and drops them off at the West Vancouver Seniors' Centre to socialize and play games. We join them to hear about how seniors experience loneliness differently, and what they do to avoid loneliness in old age.

In 2010, Johanne Wendy Bariteau was convicted of second degree murder. Eight years later, she has recently been released. And she says there are few things lonelier than being incarcerated. Johanne Wendy tells Piya why she thinks such isolation is damaging for both inmates and the community at large.