Combating loneliness in Ka¯ piti
Loneliness has been known as a soul-corroding social poison for a long time. But it was not until, sometime last year, when I read that the UK had appointed a Minister for Loneliness, that I realised the issue had become an increasingly political problem.
Last year, our council also funded an Age Concern project to research and provide solutions to this problem in Ka¯ piti. They are part of a campaign launched by the NZ Coalition, which includes the RSA, Salvation Army, St John, Carers NZ and Alzheimer’s NZ. In bidding for council’s contestable funding, Age Concern highlighted some interesting points. In 2017, the US Senate Committee on Ageing noted the need to elevate loneliness as a public health priority similar to smoking and obesity. In February, The Listener highlighted a “loneliness epidemic” noting a Ministry of Social Development advisory paper which said that social isolation was a key factor in elder abuse, depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and dementia.
Some local statistics would help in framing the potential problem in our Ka¯ piti communities. We have almost 4000 single-household properties on the Ka¯ piti Coast with 70 per cent of these inhabited by elderly women. Our current population is just over 53,000 with 27 per cent aged over 65 years. By 2043 the population is projected to be close to 64,000 of which 35 per cent would be above 65 years. Given these assumptions, the loneliness problem is set to deepen. All the scientific research shows the obvious — that human to human social connections are at the heart of what defines us as humans. It’s up to all of us as family, neighbours and communities to network the necessary human connections. I like the clever slogan used by the publication Age UK: “No One Should Have No One”. And making the human connections does not have to cost much. As Age Concern and the NZ Coalition point out there are low-cost or no-cost solutions. Our council already exercises activities which benefits this targeted campaign like the Green Neighbourhood, Neighbours Day, and Neighbourhood Support Groups.
You never know when and how these connections can be made. More recently, my office was honoured to meet the new CEO of the nationwide youth organisation Zeal, Jesse Boyce. Boyce and Ka¯ piti Zeal manager, David Orchard, advised that their organisation was increasingly looking at engaging with community projects.
The organisation, largely focused on youth activities, already provides an incredible amount of volunteer hours to facilitate and support other community organisations. Their new commitment to directly engage in wider community projects is welcome.
There is no doubt their youthful energy will turbocharge outcomes. The potential of a connection between the Age Concern project and Zeal’s intentions are obvious. An initial meeting between the two has been useful. Interestingly, Zeal revealed that loneliness is also a problem with some young people. We are all excited about having our first project, an open dialogue between a group of senior citizens and a group of youth. To explore how we can work together on this mutual problem of loneliness by creating sustainable pathways to grow our connectedness.
The message is simple, no one should have no one.