Loneliness and Isolation

Anyone can be affected by loneliness, and it can have a major impact on our mental health. Elderly people especially are at risk of suffering from loneliness: according to Age UK, over two million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour, or family member.

However, loneliness can affect anyone, and people can become socially isolated for many reasons, such as injury, age, no longer being the centre of the family or social group, leaving the workplace and retirement, the death of a spouse, family member, or friend, or due to a disability or existing mental health condition, such as social anxiety.

Isolation can also lead to further conditions developing, such as depression and personality disorders. Research has found that people who experienced long-term social isolation were at an increased risk of death, heart disease, strokes, alcoholism, drug abuse, and the onset of dementia, than those who had regular social contact. However, even if you live alone and find it hard to get out and about, there is a lot you can do to reduce the effects of loneliness.

There are many support groups that can help you with reducing the effects of loneliness, such as friendship groups, help with learning how to use computers, and helping others. See below for further information.

• The Silver Line (0800 470 8090)
• Independent Age (0800 319 6789)
• Age UK (0800 169 2081)
• Friends of the Elderly (020 7730 8263)
• Community Network (020 7923 5250) brings people together on the phone each week to talk as a group.

One way of tackling loneliness is to get out and about. You can try joining a local club or society. It might be a good idea to pick something that you have a genuine interest in and try to find a group who also have the same interests.