First Summit to tackle loneliness
One million over 65s are lonely; dramatic impact on health
The UK’s one million lonely older people who aren’t able to leave their homes and don’t have contact with friends or relatives are the focus of the first major summit on loneliness, hosted today jointly by Minister of State for Care Services Paul Burstow and the Campaign to End Loneliness.
The summit addressed both the health and social impacts of loneliness on older people.
Laura Ferguson, Director of the Campaign to End Loneliness said:
“Loneliness presents a very real threat to people’s health. It has been shown to be worse than obesity and as bad as lifelong smoking.”
Minister for Pensions Steve Webb said:
“We must do all we can to help older people remain active and involved in their local communities. We have provided £1 million through our Active at 60 programme to help people most at risk of longer-term social isolation following retirement.”