There is however no substitute for personal visits and interaction. It is hard to have a clear understanding of how someone is feeling on a screen or phone call. Right at Home North Somerset provide a friendly companionship service. This can be as simple as having someone to chat to while assisting with routine household tasks, or someone to share a hobby or interest. At Right at Home, we offer person-centred and engaging companionship and support. Get in touch with us by calling 01934 235 410 or emailing [email protected] to discuss how we can help your family members remain engaged and active.
Loneliness and Isolation
Published: 29/03/2019
While many of us will feel lonely at some point in our lives, social Isolation is one of the key issues for older people. With families busy with their own lives or living far away, loneliness can end up defining people’s lives and have effects on mental health including depression and cognitive decline. According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour, or family member.
There are some signs that you can keep an eye out for to help recognise that someone is becoming isolated socially.
- Increase in health issues: Loneliness can have a severe impact on physical as well as mental health. Complaints of feeling generally under the weather without any particular physical symptoms could be a side effect of being lonely.
- Changes in appetite: Mealtimes can be when people are most aware of being alone. This can lead to avoiding eating, or conversely an increase in snacking rather than having more formal meals. The effect of poor nutrition or the potential for weight loss or gain can have a dramatic effect on health and wellbeing.
- Verbal clues: Even if they don’t actually use the word ‘lonely’, try to read between the lines of conversations with your family member. A lack of anything to talk about is a clue that they are not doing anything or seeing anyone that they can discuss. Equally talking a lot more than they may previously have done is possibly a sign of having no one else to talk to.
With Covid-19 having restricted all of our abilities to interact personally with our friends and family, and particularly the increasing use of online tools like Skype and Zoom, older people who may not have the familiarity with technology can become excluded from family meetups. With plenty of smart phones and tablets on the market that have features designed to accommodate restricted movement, hearing and sight including someone who may not be able to use some of the more complex tech is easy.
