Claims skills swapping between generations could help the lonely

Millennials and the elderly should take part in a knowledge exchange to help combat inter-generational loneliness, a psychiatrist has said.

Swapping skills such as how to sew on a button or use the latest technology could help tackle the loneliness epidemic, according to Dr Amanda Thompsell, chairwoman of the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Figures show that one in 20 adults in England feels lonely “often” or “always”. Yet, perhaps surprisingly to some, younger adults aged 16 to 24 reported feeling lonely more often than those in older age groups, according to the Office For National Statistics.

But Dr Thompsell said there are some simple solutions to the issue, such as befriending or mentoring between older and younger adults.

“Loneliness actually increases the risk of heart disease, disrupted sleep, depression, you don’t attend to things, you don’t listen so you don’t engage with people,” she told the Press Association.

“It becomes a vicious circle which reduces your quality of life. It has a really negative impact and that’s why it is really important that we address it.”

On the potential solutions, she said: “I think that a lot of people don’t actually think about the person next door, their neighbour, being lonely.

“We could target key people who we think might be at risk of loneliness – perhaps those people who are particularly isolated due to their physical health conditions, people who have been bereaved, those who are physically isolated, those who have perhaps stopped driving, those with sensory impairment and the very, very old who might be too worried about falling if they went out.

“Things that we could actually do include befriending or mentoring.

“There has been a really interesting study by Bupa which found millennials don’t have a lot of the skills that older people have.

“It found that twice as many older people knew how to sew on a button as the younger people, and ironing a shirt or rewiring a plug.”