They deserve to not be alone
Loneliness within the elderly community is a rising epidemic with devastating consequences
Epidemic proportions

1.2 million older people in UK are chronically lonely
(Age UK)

51% of all people aged 75 & over live alone
(ONS, 2010)

11% of elderly are in contact with family or friends less than once a month
(Victor et al, 2003)

40% of elderly (3.9m) say the television is their main company
(Age UK, 2014)

20% of elderly people in the UK who feel lonely say they have no-one to turn to
(The Campaign to End Loneliness)

People aged 80 & above are expected to more than double by 2037 & people aged over 90 are expected to triple
(ONS, 2015)
Harmful to health

Loneliness increases the likelihood of mortality by 26%
(Holt-Lunstad, 2015)
(Age UK)

Loneliness and isolation is comparable to the impact of well-known risk factors such as obesity & is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day
(Holt-Lunstad, 2010)

A meta-analysis showed loneliness can increase the risk of premature death by 30%. The analysed studies involved 3.2m people
(Brigham Young University, 2015)

Lonely individuals are more prone to depression
(Cacioppo et al, 2006)

One study concludes lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia
(Holwerda et al, 2012)

Degradation of mental and physical health, due to loneliness, can lead to premature care, & nursing home admissions