App aims to fight "Loneliness Epidemic" and help people connect
Andra Maldovan is a busy woman. She runs a business and has an active social life.
"I've been very blessed with a lot of friends. Some of my best friends are still from elementary school," she said.
But keeping up with your friends gets harder as the years go on.
"The difference is, today, we've all moved away. Some people have retired to another city or taken a job somewhere else. So although we have a great friendship base we're not necessarily next door to each other," said Maldovan.
Feeling lonely can be a bummer, but according to the Surgeon General, it can also kill you.
The Surgeon General's office says feeling alone or isolated is worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The report also says loneliness and isolation can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke by about 30% each.
"When you're working remotely or you're new to town, or you're an empty nester, for example, you don't have your built-in social circle," said Taylor Jay.
Jay and her friend Carolyn Kelly saw the problem and decided to do something. So they co-founded the app Wyzr Friends.
"Wyzr Friends is an activity based for people in their 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's," said Kelly.
Wyzr Friends may have some similarities to dating apps, but the two founders say the difference is its emphasis on activities and its openness to single people and couples.
It was originally aimed at people over 40, but the two say demand is so high they're opening it up to all adults.
"You can say, does anyone want to go to dinner, or have a glass of wine, or go to the movies, whatever you're interested in. Walk the mountains, play tennis and you immediately start getting responses back," said Maldovan.
For Maldovan, coming out of the pandemic has been hard on her social life.
"For three or four years, pretty isolated and I find now that I'm ready to get back out, but the world changed," she said, "
But she just needed a little help.
"It's a real thing to try and figure out how to take that first step. This makes it easier," she said.