Tackling Loneliness

Age Scotland is working to tackle loneliness and social isolation among older people. 100,000 older people in Scotland feel lonely all or most of the time. 200,000 will go half a week without a visit or call from anyone.

We campaign tirelessly on the issue and are proud that the call for a national loneliness strategy is now being delivered by the Scottish Government.

We also tackle it on a practical level through the Age Scotland helpline, our Community Connecting service, our work with community groups and through our Independent Living initiatives such as Good Day Calls.

Loneliness kills. It is a public health crisis. It is as dangerous to a person’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It increases the risk of stress, anxiety and depression and doubles the risk of dementia. Loneliness can occur at different ages and stages; however many of the triggers tend to congregate in later life due to life changes such as bereavement, retirement, moving to a new area, illness or children moving away from home.