Age of loneliness takes unseen toll

Loneliness and social isolation have been highlighted as the most common issues facing older people in Nelson, leaving them vulnerable to scams, health issues and self-neglect.

A survey by Age Concern Nelson Tasman found that, of 120 respondents, 77 per cent said that loneliness and isolation were a major issue.

Age Concern Nelson Tasman manager Sue Tilby said the response confirmed that the organisation was only seeing the ‘‘tip of the iceberg’’ in terms of the number of older people who were quietly suffering.

She said some of the responses to the survey, conducted at the end of last year, were ‘‘very sad’’, including comments from a woman who said ‘‘I virtually see no one except for a neighbour’’.

‘‘Some people went into quite in-depth reasons for being lonely like not having family, not being able to get out and about easily due to transport issues, not knowing what’s on to attend, or feeling uncomfortable about attending things alone,’’ Tilby said

‘‘I guess a lot of the things we see are the results of being lonely or isolated, but we know we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg with those people.’’

Tilby said isolation left older people more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and depression as they weren’t connected to community support networks.

She said there have been recent cases of older people falling victim to serious computer scams and financial abuse.

One older Nelson woman, who has a fear of going out in public, was ‘‘severely financially abused’’ by a person doing her shopping for her.

Age Concern also had 16 active cases of people living in selfneglect ‘‘because they can’t see any way out of their situation’’.

‘‘We’ve had some horrendous cases of self-neglect where people are living in appalling house conditions.’’

Tilby said loneliness and isolation can often be caused by a spouse passing away, family being too busy, being unable to drive and a lack of access to transport, as well as financial barriers to things like internet access and community events.

Nelson’s rapidly ageing population is projected to see the number of retirees more than double by 2043.

The median age is expected to increase from 42 to 51 in the same time period, according to a Nelson City Council report this month.

Tilby said it was important that the community worked together to address the issue of loneliness among older people.

‘‘We want to hear from people out there already doing their bit for their community, or who would like to get more involved in some way.

‘‘Perhaps they’ve recently moved to the area and want to meet new people, or they’ve recently retired from full-time work and have more time on their hands for some voluntary work.’’

Age Concern already has a volunteer visiting services that helps provide company to about 80 people every week, but that commitment didn’t suit everyone.

‘‘There is no one-size-fits-all to tackling these issues, and we want to explore fresh and innovative ideas.

‘‘There are many no-cost and low-cost solutions we could come up with as a community.’’

Age Concern is running a free public workshop in early May and for people who want to help explore ways forward to addressing social isolation and loneliness.

The Age Concern workshop is being held on Tuesday, May 2, from 10am to 12pm, in the Saxton Oval Pavilion in Stoke. Morning tea is provided.