Help OAPs ‘break the silence of loneliness’, Camilla urges
IT IS only a few short months since she had her own experience of loneliness – so it is little surprise that the Duchess of Cornwall has issued a personal plea for everyone to support the elderly.
In a video message, Camilla, 73, urges the nation to ‘break the silence in which many live, perhaps with a telephone call to a grandparent, a card to an elderly neighbour or by hosting your very own virtual event’.
She was speaking to back a nationwide day to celebrate older people next weekend, called Silver Sunday.
‘It is a day that offers us all the opportunity to focus on older people’s contributions to our communities and to our society,’ she said. ‘As a member of Silver Sunday’s target audience, I can honestly say that it is a completely brilliant initiative.
‘Its aim is to tackle the blight of loneliness that affects so many, and which, very sadly, has increased significantly over the recent months of lockdown.
‘More than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. Silver Sunday is the perfect moment to break the silence in which many live.’
After Prince Charles, 71, was diagnosed with Covid- 19 in March, Camilla was forced to isolate from her husband at their Scottish home Birkhall and desperately missed him.
She relied on the video calling app Houseparty to keep in touch with her loved ones, including her children Laura Lopes and Tom Parker-Bowles, and grandchildren.
Speaking further about Silver Sunday, Camilla added: ‘I want to encourage everyone to take the time to remember the older generation on October 4, and to find creative ways to express our appreciation and gratitude to them. Through doing so, you really will make the most enormous difference to anyone who is feeling lonely this autumn. In Silver Sunday’s words, you will “fill the day with silver linings and the promise of happy days ahead”.’
A Palace aide said: ‘The Duchess does a lot of work relating to the older generation. One of the biggest problems is around the misery of isolation.
‘She knows how hard this year in particular has been for many older people as lockdown has made it so difficult to be with loved ones. That sadness at being apart from family is something she has felt keenly herself, so she wanted to promote Silver Sunday as a way to encourage people to get in touch not just with older members of their own family but also friends and neighbours as well.’