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26 October 2007 Social isolation condemning people to a lonely older age warns Help the Aged New research from Help the Aged has revealed that 1.4 million older people in the UK feel socially isolated and nearly 300,000 have gone a full month in the last year without speaking to any family or neighbours1. This added to the fact that more than 1.25 million older people are often or always lonely2 paints a bleak picture of what life is like for many pensioners today. In an effort to tackle these issues head-on, Help the Aged is today launching a new fundraising campaign called ‘1 is the saddest number’ which aims to help end isolation and loneliness among older people. The Charity’s first focus is Christmas as feelings of loneliness can be even more acute during traditional holiday times. Help the Aged is aiming to reach out to 25,000 older people across the UK by providing them each with a Christmas meal to enjoy with friends at their local day centre over the festive period. A donation of just £4 will enable Help the Aged to supply such a meal for an older person and the Charity is hoping the public will get behind the campaign to help it raise £100,000 for this cause before the end of the year. After Christmas, the Charity will use donations to launch its Volunteering Programme in Spring 2008, which will include befriending opportunities to directly target the chronic loneliness and isolation suffered by many older people across the UK on an ongoing basis. The need for this programme is evident. Research conducted by the Charity found that currently 29% of pensioners have to rely on family and friends to get out and about3 but more than 200,000 are effectively prisoners in their own home as they need assistance to leave the house, but do not receive any on a regular basis4. Worryingly over 730,000 older people are not able to leave their homes more than once a week5. And for those living on their own, the situation can become even worse. Currently older people are three times more likely than any other adults to live alone. More than 26% of people aged between 65 and 74, and 48% of those aged 75 and over live alone compared to just 12% of those aged between 25 and 446. Help the Aged estimates that by 2057, if current trends continue, the number of older people living alone could rise to over 7.5 million, the equivalent of 37% of the total older population7. While living alone can be a life choice and enjoyable for the greater independence it affords, it can also be one of the key risk factors leading to isolation and heightened feelings of loneliness, particularly for older people. Anna Pearson, Policy Manager for Social Inclusion at Help the Aged said: 'For many younger people, the thought of being old and lonely is their ultimate fear for the future, yet for thousands of older people in the UK today, it is their harsh reality. 'There is no substitute for human warmth and contact and our aim with this campaign is to ensure older people no longer feel abandoned by society. We know that something as simple as getting out of the house to meet, eat and be with other people can have a lasting effect, so please help us to really make a difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of older people this Christmas and beyond.' Help the Aged is hoping everyone will get behind its campaign as just a £4 donation can enable the Charity to provide a Christmas meal for an older person to enjoy with friends. To donate to the Help the Aged ‘1 is the saddest number’ appeal please call 0207 239 1983 or visit www.saddestnumber.org.uk
Notes to editors For further media information, please contact Ellie Stanton at Help the Aged on 020 7 239 1488 or ellie.stanton@helptheaged.org.uk 1 ICM Research survey conducted for Help the Aged between October 3rd and 14th 2007 2 GfK/NOP Spotlight Survey 2007 for Help the Aged 3 484 people of pensionable age were interviewed by GFK NOP for Help the Aged on 14th to 19th June 2007 4 GfK/NOP Spotlight Survey 2007 for Help the Aged 5 GfK/NOP Spotlight Survey 2007 for Help the Aged 6 General Household Survey 2005 7 Estimate: there will be 7.6 million older people living alone by 2057 Method: - There are currently 4.3 million single pensioners (one person pensioner households). Latest figure is for 2006. - In 2006, there were 11.4 million people of pensionable age (7.2 million women aged 60 and over/ 4.2 million men aged 65+) - The current GAD projections for this age group in 2057 is 20.3 million (11.8m women 60+, 8.5m men 65+). - The 2057 projection for this age group is up 78% on the current figure. - A 78% rise in the current number of single pensioners would give a total of 7.6 million. Notes: - The estimate has been done on a purely mathematical basis, with no attempt to allow for trends in living arrangements over the next 50 years - The figure for 2006 is for pensioners, using the current definition: 60+ for women and 65+ for men. In order to have a comparable projection for 2057, the same age ranges have been used, even though the retirement ages will not be the same. Sources: Guy Palmer (2006) Single Person Households: Issues that JRF should be thinking about Government Actuary Department 2004-based population projections, GAD website August 2007, http://www.gad.gov.uk/Population/2004/uk/wuk045y.xls
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