Nearly half a million older people predicted to spend Christmas alone

The amount of people over the age of 65 spending Christmas alone has reached 450,000, according to Age UK.

New research from the charity has also shown nearly half a million older people feel the Christmas period has many sad memories of people who have passed away.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: “As we head towards Christmas this is a chilling outlook for too many older people. What’s even more concerning is that the majority of older people facing Christmas alone are aged 80 or over, making them the most vulnerable and at risk at this time of year.

“People’s social networks often shrink due to life-changing events such as retirement and bereavement which can increase the risk of feeling lonely, and we are extremely concerned that this coupled with on-going cuts to local authority budgets means that even more older people will feel lonely this winter.”

According to research, a quarter of people aged over 65 are not looking forward to Christmas this year and Age UK has called for people to spend some time visiting a neighbour or relative during the festive period to ensure people in the community are not left feeling isolated and alone.

Befriending schemes are being run by local Age UK services to offer companionship to older people in their own home and have been championed as a way to improve the overall quality of life for older people.

The befriending service at Age UK Nottingham has helped one women deal with the loss of her husband who passed away seven years ago. After being referred to the service by her daughter, Irene has had a weekly visit from her befriender Keith since January.

She continues to enjoy regular visits and said: “If I needed anything Keith would be there for me – I still very feel very emotional about losing my husband. I have a lovely, supportive family but I still needed some company and Keith has helped me – we’ve had some laughs. “He is very caring person he has even helped me to get online and to purchase an iPad that I can use on Christmas Day so I can speak to some of my family who live abroad using Skype.”

Dr Lynda Shaw, a psychologist who specialises in the psychology of ageing, has called for immediate action to be taken to tackle loneliness in older people and said people should think of their older family members first.

She said: “There has been a lot of talk recently about how the elderly in our community often feel lonely. Loneliness kills, it can lead to low self-worth, lack of confidence and depression. It can also be a risk factor associated with heart disease and dementia. The ability to carry out simple daily tasks such as washing, cleaning and dressing deteriorate twice as fast in those who feel lonely than those who do not.

“The loss of the connection between our young people and their elders is a huge problem for the future of our society. Our elders should be revered and respected and seen as our teachers. Instead we often patronise them, think of spending time with them as a chore and isolate them. Veterans in particular have so much to teach us, remembering wartime isn’t glorifying it; it is a reminder in how not to do things. We need a drastic re-think and a change of mind-set to include and learn from the mature end of the population rather than isolate them.”

Age UK has encouraged people to get in touch with their local Age UK to see find out about the services going on in their area.