According to 2018 statistics from Age UK, almost a quarter of those living in England aged 50-plus feel lonely some of the time, while seven per cent feel lonely often.
The charity Independent Age says that people experience this feeling for all kinds of reasons, but loneliness is something older people are especially vulnerable to.
Luke Price, evidence manager at the Centre for Ageing Better charitable foundation, says: “While data shows that younger people are at least as lonely as older age groups, we know life transitions that are more common as we get older, such as bereavement, divorce and ill health, are all key risk factors.”
Whatever the reason for it, loneliness shouldn’t be ignored. The NHS says that feeling alone and vulnerable “can lead to depression and a serious decline in physical health and wellbeing.”
Meanwhile, Robin Hewings, director of campaigns, policy and research at the Campaign to End Loneliness (hosted by Independent Age), notes that loneliness “accelerates cognitive decline in people with early stage dementia” and that “people who are lonely are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.”
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Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Kent Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The choice of leaders
It’s a small, scenic Kentish market town on the border with Surrey, famous for not one but two great leaders. We take a look around Westerham
The eco-warriors
Awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of its research in global nature conservation, the role of Kent-based DICE has never been more relevant
Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS
Our county can boast some of the most celebrated and downright unusual protected mouments in the country
Ghosts of a river's life
Kent Life discovers an an other-worldliness about the marshes, creeks, and saltings of the lower reaches of the river Medway
The return of the son
The Unknown Warrior’s journey from the World War One battlefields via Dover to his resting place in Westminster Abbey is 100 years old this month
We will remember
In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role
10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns
A vast Dockyard, a Napoleonic fort and a JCB diggers theme park - let’s visit Chatham and Medway
KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES
Here are 10 tales to make you shiver as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve
Joking apart
From his home in Broadstairs, Royston Robertson comes up with satirical, topical and sometimes just plain silly cartoons