Webchat with Baroness Barran Tuesday 16th June at 4pm - add your questions here

There have been several reports noting that, because council funding has been significantly reduced, the number of older people having access to day services, such as lunch clubs, has significantly decreased. In 2012 Age UK reported that numbers using these services had fallen from 88,498 in 2009-10 to 68,160 in 2011-12 and this trend has continued. It warned then that thousands of older people faced "the prospect of living out their last years in loneliness".

The reduction in such services - which may include exercise classes, hairdressing, podiatry and social activities - have naturally had an impact on older people and their carers.

While a conversation regarding the issue of loneliness and social isolation is welcome, will there also be a focus on restoring ongoing government funding for some of these services which help so many people? Relying on funding from charities is not a reliable method of ensuring continuity. When funding ends, if new financial sources are not found successful projects often have to be abandoned.

What is your view on this?

Hello and thank you for coming on to talk to us about this. My elderly mother has been on her own too for the past 14 years. I've been extremely worried about her during lockdown. My sister lives closer to her but has been shielding and so unable to visit and I am three hours drive away. She has had no one visit her over this time, aside from food deliveries and an occasional over the fence hello from one of her neighbours. I can see from our calls that the isolation has really taken a toll on her. And now she's been indoors for so long she's terrified about leaving the house compounding the problem. What is the government doing about this? I feel like her needs and those of so many other elderly people are right at the bottom of the pile of priorities right now.

I think it's great that you are encouraging people to talk about loneliness. But haven't we moved past that now? Don't we need to be taking proper action? GPs should be involved. Everyone needs to visit one, they should have time allowed to spend with people who seem lonely and prescribe websites, social groups etc. But they need to follow up on this too. This pandemic has shown me how isolating it is not to be able to go shopping or just communicate with others doing basic things. If that is denied you because you can't get around as easily then my future looks very bleak.

We've always known about loneliness and people being isolated. Now is the time to take action. There are many people out there who were lonely before the virus now there are more. There will be many problems because of the situation we have it won't be solved easily or quickly there will be many repercussions.

Talk!

throw money! Governments have no idea what it is like

in fact, I didn`t till I got older and my dh died.. now I know what lonely is to me..

can`t go to church and church get togethers,, not all "churchy"

Society has changed, I grew up when people lived together, I have lived in this small Close for over 20 years, and no one speaks, all out at work, or furloughed, or frightened to speak to other people..

sad society, thanks Maggie Thatcher I blame her.

In my younger days I volunteered with older people. Some wanted to go to bingo, to a pub for a pint, the cinema,theatre, visit a library or museum or just chat over a cuppa. The reasons given by many for wanting to go out was that they wanted to feel like everyone else mixing with all ages and seeing what was going on outside their four walls. I used my car for transport, was given fuel costs as well as eg cost of cinema ticket. The organisations involved in providing social activities now all seem to focus on grouping them together. Yes this is more cost effective and for some does help combat loneliness but is not for all. Surely there should be more funding "attached" to an individual to allow them to help combat loneliness in a way they would feel they are still an individual and able to make choices. We keep hearing about babyboomers clogging up the system and being a drain on services. There have been statistics on population growth for decades. Boomers are now in their 70s why does it seem a surprise to Governments that there is now a large population of older people. Why has this not been planned for and systems developed to cope with the resultant needs of older people?

I know local authorities are not funding personal care for people at home who need it and also not for those in homes. They claim they haven't enough money but I am seeing my LA doing a lot of landscaping work in the local park. The shifting of earth and building areas has been going on all through lockdown and I wonder why there is money for this? I know there are various budgets but it does seem wrong.

That's before we get to funding for enrichment activities for older or disabled people. And actually surely the money for these should come out of the same leisure budget as the landscaping and improvement of local recreation grounds.

Sorry the above should say not funding ENOUGH money for personal care. People get an hour a day when they need 3 etc.

You can be more lonely living with a partner who you no longer like or care about but after over 50 years it’s convenient. We share a roof ,nothing else not even conversation so not being able to see daughter and granddaughter is very hard. I’m more lonely than a single person. When will I be able to see my family again?

Thank you for joining this webchat. Here are my thoughts:

Something is not 'stigmatised' until we say it is. Why is loneliness being 'stigmatised'? It is part of life. I have been lonely in my twenties and at other times, when we moved to new places. I don't believe that funding, or yet more organisations are the answer. It is down to each and all of us to look out for others as best we can, and it is our responsibility as individuals to find ways of being part of the communities and the society we live in, no matter how old we are. I dislike the move to "herd" old people together and deal with their "loneliness".

And stop saying loneliness is stigmatised.

Age UK have a phone service for lonely people who can request a phone call from them. This should be more widely available, better advertised and financed accordingly, with free telephone 0800 number for people to ring.

What are the government's targets in terms of loneliness? It all seems a bit woolly to me - a general concern about the present government if I’m honest.

Can anything be done to improve multigenerational relationships? The ‘Ok, boomer’ and ‘snowflake generation’ insults are just awful - annoying on a good day and really upsetting on a bad one. Pitting us against each other and making it into an us and them is really isolating and I think prevents cross-generation friendships.

Hello and thank you for doing this webchat.

My question is:
What plans do the government have in place to address loneliness and the mental health implications of it if the social restrictions for coronavirus last long-term?

Particularly for those who are shielding with minimal interaction with people.

Hi

Why can I not see or hear anything?

Hello

Have you ever felt lonely yourself?

Hello. My daughter is about to be a new mum. She’s very scared about the isolation of going through such a big change, and not having family around her as she usually would if times were different. My Q is what are you doing for new mums and families during this time, when they may feel loneliness while something so big is happening in their lives but can’t even hug their mum for support?