This Christmas season, we must ask the seniors in our lives, "Are you lonely?"

One of the quietest and saddest American tragedies plays out in homes across the country during the most joyous of seasons.

At a time when families and friends gather to create new memories and communities deck the halls, millions of seniors will remain parties of one. They are suffering from an isolation that creeps up on them, often after retirement, when their families have busily moved on, when friends and acquaintances have passed away, when health ailments occur more regularly and when mobility can no longer be taken for granted.

This isolation, and the loneliness that inevitably follows, has become our nation’s silent plague.

We have understandably become concerned by our culture’s obsession with technology, as these devices have become not just ubiquitous but the centers of our lives. Young people in particular, the fretting goes, don’t talk and socialize as they should. But what’s happening with older Americans is a different kind of isolation that can not only diminish their lives but take them.

Loneliness takes a physical toll

When our seniors are isolated and lonely, the health consequences are severe. Social isolation involves having a limited number of social ties; loneliness is a subjective feeling of sadness at being alone. Both conditions raise the risk of mortality by more than a quarter and heighten the risk of heart disease and stroke. The lonely are more likely than others to become afflicted with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Yet with the Boomer retirement wave cresting and about 10,000 of them retiring every day, our nation has done relatively little to address this public health challenge. The solutions range from the simple and immediate — individuals reaching out to elders in their world — to the complex and long term, such as policy changes that prioritize building social infrastructure for seniors.

But only a national commitment to combating social isolation and loneliness can turn the tide.

Why do 43% of older U.S. adults experience loneliness? The challenge is partly unique to the United States and partly mirrors what we’re seeing in other countries.

Across the nation, our social infrastructure is fraying. Membership in churches and other religious institutions, a lifeline for many people, has dropped sharply in the past two decades. Only about one in five U.S. adults feels highly attached to his or her community. One in three older adults outside of nursing homes lives alone, and almost half of women 75 and older live alone, which puts them at risk of isolation, especially if they fall ill or become disabled. And one-quarter of adults older than age 65 live in small towns and rural communities where “aging in place” can be challenging because of limited resources.

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Other nations face similar problems as their populations age and family structures change. The U.K. has tackled the issue head on, appointing a minister of loneliness last year and releasing a national strategy to end loneliness. That kind of national commitment is important for dispelling the myth that social isolation and loneliness are states of being that individuals choose to enter or can control.

In fact, many isolated people want connections. Personal attributes over which we have no control — such as living with a disability or chronic illness or experiencing poverty — contribute to social isolation and loneliness. So do structural concerns such as lack of transportation, poor or nonexistent health care and social services and limited opportunities for recreation and social activities.

When seniors are lonely, we all pay the price

There’s a cost to our nation when our seniors suffer. Socially isolated older adults incur $134 more per month in Medicare costs ($1,608 per year), compared with the average Medicare user. A coordinated national campaign would raise awareness among the public and within the public health community and bring new urgency to studying and responding to social isolation and loneliness. Combating these twin problems should also feature prominently in our national health policies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030 plan.

We can also build on existing programs, such as Meals on Wheels and local aging groups, which could identify isolated seniors and connect them to supports that help reduce loneliness. Police officers, faith leaders and even the postal workers and delivery people who regularly approach seniors’ doors, could also be trained to be part of the solution. We can screen seniors for social isolation and loneliness when they take their annual Medicare exams and encourage health care plans to offer benefits that address social isolation and reduce health costs.

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I’ve struggled with isolation and feelings of loneliness at many points in my life as a result of my hearing loss, and this issue has become more central to me as I approach retirement age. I’ve come to embrace a simple truth we all know in our hearts: The people around us can make all the difference.

So, this holiday season, I encourage you to reach out to someone you know. Ask them a simple, yet rarely voiced question: “Are you lonely?”

Then invite them to tell you their story. If enough of us take the time to see and reach out to people in our lives who are struggling with loss, depression, anxiety or, yes, loneliness, we’ll all be better for it.

Donato Tramuto is CEO of Tivity Health, which provides SilverSneakers, the nation’s largest community fitness program for older adults. He is also founder of the Tramuto Foundation and Health eVillages. Follow him on Twitter: @DonatoTramuto

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: For seniors across America, Christmas is a lonely time.