LIVE24SEVEN // Fashion, Health & Beauty CHAR I T Y – TAC K L ING LONE L INE S S
Cotswold Charities Seek Volunteers To Help Tackle Loneliness This Winter
With the number of 85-year-olds in the UK expected to double by 2026 and loneliness shown to increase the risk of premature death by up to a quarter, more is needed to be done to help tackle isolation among older and vulnerable people.
In Gloucestershire alone, the number of older people is set to rise by two thirds by 2039. The number of people aged 75 and over is expected to increase by 2,300 annually, on average, by 2035. Meanwhile, the number of people aged 85 and over living alone is expected to rise by 25 per cent over the next seven years.
People For You, a service run by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC), offers a volunteer befriending service to older and isolated people in the South Cotswolds.
GRCC, a charity operating in Gloucestershire, works in partnership with Cotswold Friends and the Churn Project to facilitate the delivery of volunteer befriending services throughout the Cotswolds, with the aim of tackling the issue of loneliness and isolation in the district. Known collaboratively as Cotswold Befrienders, they are funded by the Big Lottery and are now looking for more volunteers to help them deal with the ever-increasing problem.
In the Cotswolds, the number of older people with a longer lifespan exceeds the national average. Over 24,000 people are past retirement age, representing nearly a third of the total population.
The negative impact on a person’s sense of well-being and inclusion in their community is well documented, with research suggesting that being isolated can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Jean Davies, aged 80, from a village near Cirencester, has been receiving a visitor from People For You for nearly two years since the death of her husband in 2015. She is visited every week by a volunteer called Sally.
Jean said: “I was very, very low and depressed because we’d been together since I was 16 years old and I was in a very bad situation. But Sally came into my home and she really helped me. She came and we chatted, we laughed and we cried. I can’t wait for her to come because I feel like I’ve got a friend.”
As well as more volunteers, all three services also want to hear from older people who feel they would benefit from regular visits from a volunteer.
Sue Black, from People For You, said: “As the statistics show, loneliness is a serious public health issue. Services such as ours, which help to tackle this growing problem, not only help those at risk but also help ease the pressure on the NHS and social care services.
“A visit from a volunteer really does mean so much to those who receive it. Many of the older people supported by our projects may be housebound so meaningful social interaction is difficult for them to achieve on a regular basis.”
For more information about the three services operating in the Cotswolds, please call: People For You (part South Cotswolds) on 07810 630167 or 01452 528941 Cotswold Friends (North Cotswolds) on 01608 651415 Churn Project (part South Cotswolds) on 01285 380038.
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