Over the last 20 years, the number of people over 75 who live alone has gone up to 2.2m

All too often, loneliness is the reality for older people and nearly half of older people say the TV is their main source of company.

Social isolation and loneliness are more than an emotional experience, they have huge mental and physical health implications.  Older people living alone are significantly more likely to experience health problems, visit their GP or attend A&E.   

As the ageing population continues to grow, so does the epidemic of loneliness among older people. We’re the only charity solely committed to tackling this problem by helping older people to re-engage with their communities through regular face to face contact, giving them a lifeline of friendship and, vitally, something to look forward to. 

What do we do?

We exist to bring older people together into social groups at a time in their lives when their social circles are diminishing.

This year, 8,500 older guests were part of over 900 groups across the UK, supported by 14,000 volunteers.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis we have suspended our regular social gatherings and have created a new service for older people called call companions. 

The guests in our existing groups are receiving calls from volunteers and we now have volunteer capacity to reach more older people and want call companions to be a permanent addition to our work. 

Our call companion's idea is very simple: a volunteer call companion calls the same older person between two and four times a month at a mutually agreed time for an informal CHAT. Calls will last for around 30 minutes.

Just like our social gatherings, the call companions programme is aimed at people who are:

- 75 or older

- Living alone or in sheltered housing with little or no contact with family or friends

- Struggle to leave their house in normal times