The number of adults living in the UK experiencing some form of loneliness is on the rise with recent statistics illustrating that around a third of people feeling lonelier than they did during the pandemic. The number of different isolated communities around the country is costing the tax payer over £32 billion every year which has hit the economy hard. This has been further exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis which hinders the amount of social interaction people can have with each other due to the high cost of fuel and different goods and services.
Many charities around the country are holding awareness campaigns to illustrate the impact of loneliness on people of different ages through out the country. This can be seen getting worse the older people get as people move to different areas of the country due to work and family commitments. This means that they are more than likely going to lose contact with their friends which can include people who they have grown up with and been in school together.
The Marmalade Trust who are one of the leading organisations in this area is launching its seventh annual campaign as part of Loneliness Awareness Week 2023. They are dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness across the UK and worldwide. The campaign takes place from June 12th to 18th and hopes to get people to take notice and encourage small everyday interactions that will help connect different communities of people. This will enable the building of different relationships so that they will be able to have other forms of help and advice.
People will be advised to harness and share different moments that they may have experienced through out their lives. This will serve as kind of a conversation starter which will help to build different connections between families and communities.
Alice Peperell, Campaign Director of Loneliness Awareness Week, describes three simple ways people can get involved,
“We are asking people to join in by spreading the word, building connections by organising or joining an activity or event, and following us on social media and sharing stories of connection.”
Minister for Loneliness Stuart Andrew said:
“Loneliness is something that can affect anyone at any time, but it’s important people know that they are not alone and that support is out there. This Loneliness Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to encourage small moments of connection, whether that be arranging to go for a walk with a friend or inviting them for a tea or coffee. By opening up the conversation about how we are feeling we can better support each other.”
To tackle the loneliness epidemic effectively, we need to keep a focus on evidence. Three successive governments have committed to building the evidence base behind loneliness, and a lot of great work has been done since then to begin to plug the gaps. But questions still remain.
One of these evidence gaps is around the true relationship between health and loneliness over time. While loneliness has gained greater traction as a public health issue, we still don’t really understand the extent to which reducing loneliness would improve healthy years lived or broader health outcomes.
Put simply, just how dangerous is loneliness to our long-term health?
It is a well known fact that more people are likely to die early due to experiencing loneliness than if they don’t. This is why people are being advised to keep an eye on elderly friends, relatives and neighbours to ensure they have someone they can talk to in their later years. This will help them to experience a better quality of life and means they will not be left isolated but will be able to remain fully functioning members of society.
