Another important post from Nisha Kotecha. I always feel lucky to have good friends and family. I have seen through working with vulnerable groups how devastating loneliness is.
How many friends, family, and neighbours have you had contact with today? Living close to friends and family in a friendly community, I have spoken to three today so far. It has been reported that 17% of older people have less than weekly, and 11% less than monthly, contact with family, friends and neighbours.
6% of older people (nearly 600,000 people) leave their house once a week or less. A recent study found that isolation was linked with a 26% higher death risk over seven years. Despite meeting and speaking to isolated older people every day at work, I still find it shocking to think of so many older people in this country living in isolation.
This video by vInspired is great at showing how some of the isolated older people in the UK are feeling, and how valuable a supportive community is:
one swallow makes a summer 
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