Tackling Loneliness Amongst Elderly

Recently released statistics have shockingly revealed that in the UK, more than half of people over the age of 75 live alone and that five million consider the television to be their main companion.  What’s more, around one million elderly people can go as long as an entire month without speaking to anyone at all.

These figures demonstrate the real issues faced by elderly people in today’s society which are the result of various factors such as losing a partner, having family members living abroad or having no family at all.

Combating Loneliness

Age UK, the country’s largest charity for older people, has put huge focus on combating loneliness amongst the elderly in light of these statistics and has various campaigns in place to try to tackle the issue.

One of the most popular services offered by Age UK and local partners to end loneliness is their befriending services. The service works by assigning each elderly person a befriender who regularly visits them and provides companionship over a long period of time, offering human contact for people who don’t have any family or friends nearby.

Another fantastic service offered by the charity is named ‘Call in Time’ and consists of regular phonecalls on a daily or weekly basis to a person experiencing loneliness. All of the befrienders are volunteers who give up their own time to provide this service to older people.

The Big Chinwag

The most recent campaign launched by the Age UK is called The Big Chinwag, an event aimed at raising money for people in later life. The event takes place on June 20^th and encourages people to arrange a bake sale, a cocktail evening with friends or a summer party where money can be raised to tackle loneliness, whilst chatting and having fun at the same time.  The money raised from this event will go towards arranging social gatherings for older people and raising awareness of ageing issues throughout the UK. Here’s hoping this gets more people to help those enjoy life in their later years.

To get involved in the Big Chinwag or to find out more about how the charity is tackling the issue of loneliness amongst elderly people visit the Age UK website.