People who struggle with loneliness are being urged to get in touch with a charity.
Loneliness Awareness Week (June 14-18) will strike a chord with many after a year of lockdowns and isolation, says the chief executive of Live at Home, Jackie Bridson.
’We all feel lonely at times, it’s a natural human emotion,’ said Mrs Bridson. ’We are biologically wired for social contact and loneliness is a signal that we need more of that. During all three lockdowns we found there was an even greater need to support our members in isolation who were unable to access the help they needed.
’We want to use the awareness week to encourage people experiencing loneliness to get in touch as well as ask islanders to volunteer or help fund-raise to support us in our crucial work.’
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In the third lockdown, which lasted seven weeks, Live at Home completed 1,750 call outs to people to check on their welfare. The charity also took on new volunteers for telephone befriending and shopping assistance, ran telephone quizzes, posted activity packs to most of its 500 members, and undertook weekly shopping for the vulnerable.
The charity aims to help adults and the elderly interact with their community, as well as supporting independent living.
’Our charity makes these social and community connections based on the specific need of the person being supported,’ said Mrs Bridson. ’These lockdowns have brought to the fore how important social interaction is and how we can never take it for granted. Through phone calls, visits and, when out of lockdown, activities and events, we are always looking at how to make the elderly and isolated connect with other people.’
The third lockdown was particularly challenging.
Mrs Bridson said: ’We found many more were struggling with their mental health, requiring intensive contact because of their feelings of helplessness and despair. The theme for this year’s loneliness awareness week is acceptance. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to talk about loneliness in an attempt to remove the stigma and shame around it.
’It is hard to admit to being lonely. We are here to help and we would encourage people that may feel lonely to reach out and see if we could support them. We’re also very keen for more volunteers to come forward during these tough times.’