Lonely elderly are suffering in silence
A STIFF upper lip attitude among elderly Britons means more than half suffer loneliness in silence.
As many as 56 per cent have never talked to anyone about feeling lonely and isolated, according to a survey.
The majority said any close friends or family would be surprised or even astonished to hear of their plight, research by the over-50s social networking site Gransnet found.
Almost all of those asked, 93 per cent, admitted it is possible to feel lonely even with a spouse or family.
As many as 82 per cent said that talking about feelings of loneliness is much easier when they are online – and anonymous.
Epidemic
The poll was published to mark the launch of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, which the MP had started working on shortly before she was murdered by a gunman on the steps of her constituency surgery in Birstall, Leeds, last June.
As part of the Commission’s spotlight on older people, nine organisations – Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, British Red Cross, Campaign to End Loneliness, Eden Project Communities, Gransnet, Independent Age, Royal Voluntary Service and The Silver Line – are working to raise public awareness of loneliness and encourage everyone to help tackle it.
Under the slogan Start A Conversation, the Commission wants to mobilise the public to help themselves and others around them – educating people on how they can become part of the solution.
Cross-party co-chairs of the commission, Labour MP Rachel Reeves and her Conservative colleague Seema Kennedy, said: “Loneliness is a silent epidemic across the UK.
“We all need to act and encourage older people to freely talk about their loneliness.
“Everyone can play a part in ending loneliness among older people in their communities by simply starting a conversation with those around you.
“Building awareness of loneliness by being the ‘eyes on the ground’ to spot it among older customers, patients, friends, relatives and neighbours and refer on to people who can help are all interventions that could make a real impact.”
Strain
Age UK research found that 1.2 million older people are chronically lonely and half a million over-60s usually spend every day alone.
Laura Alcock-Ferguson of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said: “Loneliness is a serious public health issue, and dealing with it will take the strain off the NHS care services.”