Three ways to avoid being lonely this Christmas

As the population ages and growing numbers of people are living alone, loneliness is emerging as a major public health issue. Many older people are lonely with estimates ranging to as high as 80% among care home residents. According to Age UK, around one million older people in the UK are desperately lonely and can go almost an entire month without speaking to anyone. It is therefore hardly surprising that two fifths of all older people (about 3.9m) say that television is their main company. Christmas may be referred to as the “season to be jolly”, but for some older people, the festive season offers little to celebrate.

Feeling lonely is a negative emotional experience and can adversely affect both physical health and mental well-being, with studies demonstrating links with stress, lower self-esteem, disturbed sleep, cardiovascular disease, dementia and other mental health outcomes. Loneliness is said to have a physical effect equivalent to that of smoking or alcoholism, and more severe than not exercising or obesity. These negative health consequences are no doubt what led the current health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to describe the extent of loneliness in later life as a “national shame”.

A festive meal

For many, Christmas provides the opportunity for family, friends and work colleagues to get together and enjoy a festive meal. Sharing food is one way in which older people can meet others and develop new social relations this festive period.

A winter walk

Another way in which older people can participate in their local community while experiencing health benefits is to wrap up warm and go for a winter walk. Although the weather might be cold, going for a walk has many health benefits, and what’s more, can be a good opportunity for lonely people to meet like-minded others.

Through our involvement in one such project, Walking with Confidence, a project delivered by Age UK Leeds, we’ve seen how this very simple activity can have extraordinarily positive effects. In this project, local volunteers offer support to help older people get out and about. One participant has progressed from needing a rest every few paces to feeling confident to go out on her own and start attending local groups again. Another has been able to reengage with her community. She explained how having the volunteer do things with her gave her more and more confidence: “I started helping with the teas again at church and also went back to keep fit. I went on the bus shopping.”

Cultural involvement

So for all you lonely older people out there, or for those wishing to support older people to become less lonely, keep things simple: organise a festive meal, wintery walk or put on a festive dance in your locality. It will do someone – and could do many – a world of good.

Andrea Wigfield, Director, Care-Connect, University of Sheffield and Sarah Alden, Research Associate in Sociology, University of Sheffield

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.