10% of older people often or always feel lonely which research indicates may lead to a 64% increased risk of dementia and is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Furthermore, strong relationships can reduce mortality rates by 50% and 1 strong social contact can extend life expectancy by 7 years.
All around the country there are care agencies, lunch clubs and voluntary organisations trying to improve the social wellbeing of older people but with each day being pretty much like the next it can often be hard for the older person to know when to reach out.
However hard you try, in the UK it is difficult to ignore Christmas Day and an estimated 500,000 face the day alone although many do want this to be the day when life is different.
Community Christmas is a charity that wants to support individuals and organisations offering Christmas Day activities so that no older person in the UK is alone on Christmas Day unless they want to be.
Christmas can be a catalyst for change, a time when individuals look for the social contact they lack, when they engage with their community – perhaps for the first time.
Last year over 350 locations around the UK were listed on the Community Christmas website but many more are needed.
“My best Christmas in years and lovely to be able to look forward to Christmas 2016. Fantastic food and company and I may have formed one long term friendship.” “enjoyed as much by volunteers as guests”
“It has inspired me to get out and try other activities”
Why think about Christmas when the sun is shining or you are taking a break on the beach? Community Christmas wants to support individuals within communities to get new events and activities set up for Christmas 2016 and it is never too early to start.
It doesn’t have to be difficult, especially as they have Guidance Notes available to get newcomers started. Once an event is confirmed it can be listed for free on their website so that older people, or those that care about them, can find out what is going on in their area.
Just imagine how much nicer it could be when you send people home just before Christmas to know that an event runs locally that will provide them with the Christmas spirit that will support their recovery, and the community contacts that will keep them going into the new year.
If you don’t want to get to the 20th of December and be sending someone home for a Christmas alone then now is the time to take action by finding out what already happens in your community and getting in touch with Community Christmas to tell them about it or to get something new up and running to plug the gap.