Friendship services invaluable against loneliness

At Independent Age, the older people’s charity, we’re always trying to help as many older people as possible.

Right now, we want to encourage older people in Scotland who may be feeling lonely to get in touch with us to find out about our friendship services, which could help to reduce loneliness.

We have friendly, trained volunteers waiting to make regular calls to the people who need them to help make a difference to their lives, so we’re keen to hear from people who may have lost touch with close friends or family and would like to find someone friendly to talk to.

One in five older people in the UK are in contact with friends, family and neighbours less than once a week, while for one in 10, it’s less than once a month. In addition to this, around 40 per cent of older people say the TV is their main form of company.

We want to help all those who need us, but we can only help the people who get in touch with us.

Receiving a regular call can be invaluable to someone who is lonely. Having a volunteer for a regular telephone call can provide vital companionship for older people who are lonely, enabling them to feel more connected to their local community.

Many of the older people we help have told us that it can make a huge difference to their wellbeing if they have a call to look forward to each week or fortnight.

Chronic loneliness can be really damaging to a person’s health, so we hope to help make loneliness a thing of the past for Scottish residents.

Older people who would like to receive regular calls from a volunteer can sign up at www.independentage. org/get-support/receive-regularphoneor by calling 0800 319 6789. Jeanette Bates, head of wellbeing, Independent Age