Isolation can be caused by the death of a partner, fear of crime or poor mobility. It can lead to depression, ill health and premature death.
- 1 million older people are facing Christmas Day alone.
- Over 1.2 million older people in the UK often or always feel alone.
- 48% of over-65s consider the television their main form of company.
- 7% of over-65s don't leave their house more than once a week, and 3% never go out.
All facts taken from the GfK/NOP surveys and ICM Research for Help the Aged.
Case studies
Kitty, 86, lives alone and is almost blind. She was burgled while at home and the ordeal left her so terrified that it took one of our HandyVan team, visiting to fit new locks, ten minutes to persuade her to open her door.
Mary told us: 'Before I rang SeniorLine I was living from week to week. I couldn't afford to put the electric heater on, I used to worry about paying the milkman'.
SeniorLine, our free telephone advice service, helped Mary to access extra benefits.
Dave, 84, cares for his wife who has dementia. Dave suffers from health problems himself, and used to worry that if he had an accident there would be no way of summoning help. Now Dave has a SeniorLink unit and the peace of mind of knowing that he can get help quickly.
Via's knee operation left her unable to leave the house. Thanks to a grant from SeniorMobility, she is driven every week to her local day centre to meet friends.
Whilst photos are representative of older people we work with, images of named individuals have not been used.