If we don’t tackle loneliness, by 2034 there will be 1.2 million people over 65 in England who will often feel lonely – with far reaching consequences’ – is the stark warning from Age UK, in a new report.

The new report ‘You are not alone in feeling lonely’ presents new evidence about the scale of the loneliness challenge among people aged 65 and over.  It explores why loneliness is harmful to older people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life and perhaps most importantly, the practical steps that can be taken to mitigate against it.

Isolation during the Covid pandemic raised the alarm about the dangers of loneliness and pushed it into public conversation, but momentum to drive change has since slowed. As the report highlights, urgent action is now needed, or things will only get worse.  

Age UK’s data analysis within the report reveals the scale of the problem, showing that:  

• 7% (1 in 14 people) aged 65+ equivalent to 940,000 older people in the UK are often lonely.
• 270,000 older people (aged 65+) in England go a week without speaking to a friend or family member (3%, or around 1 in 40 people aged 65+.
• And that people who go a week without speaking to a friend or family member are almost three times more likely to be lonely than people who speak to friends and family more often.

Loneliness is bad for our physical and mental health

• Loneliness is linked with acceleration of frailty and increased risk of physical and mental illness, including a 29% increase in risk of incident coronary heart disease, a 32% increase in risk of stroke, and a 25% increased risk of dementia.
• Loneliness is linked with increased risk of mental illness including depression and anxiety.
• Nine in 10 older people who are often lonely are also unhappy or depressed, compared to four in 10 of those who are hardly ever lonely.

Loneliness and social isolation are year-round problems but winter, and Christmas especially, can be particularly tough – 1 million older people say they are more isolated at Christmas than any other time of the year. Routine public services winding down, shops closing early or shutting completely combined with harsher weather conditions, shorter days, and changes in people’s health and wellbeing often make it harder to sustain social connections.

The evidence in the report also shows that there is an increased or high risk of loneliness linked to health inequalities.  Enduring loneliness is weighted heavily towards groups of people including those on lower incomes. Loneliness is linked to where you live, your housing circumstances, ethnicity and mental and physical health status. At the same time, services and approaches are not always inclusive and representative of all older people, so a focus on inclusion is needed when we think about tackling loneliness.

Loneliness poses particular challenges to older people and requires targeted policy focus. As we get older, risk factors that might precipitate loneliness can begin to increase and converge, for example, life events such as bereavement, living with ill-health and/or disability and caring for a loved one.

However, as this report shows, while loneliness is not a simple challenge to solve, it’s also not impossible.  Loneliness exists in many different contexts and those experiencing it have different internal and external resources to call upon, meaning there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to tackling it. Even so, there is lots that can be done to help.

Age UK recommends cross-government efforts involving local, regional and national government, funders, charities and communities working together to better grip the loneliness challenge. We have good evidence of what works to tackle loneliness and know that, with the right support, it is possible to vastly reduce the frequency and intensity of loneliness older people experience. The challenge is to scale and spread these approaches so that no older person is left to face this alone.

Caroline Abrahams, CBE, Age UK Charity Director, said: “As our new report shows, the good news is that there’s more we can do to prevent and tackle loneliness as we age.  Loneliness is a year-round problem for many older people, but one that’s often intensified by the shorter, colder days we experience in winter. As this year’s festive season approaches, there’ll never be a better time to renew our commitment to helping older people enjoy their lives, free of the scourge of loneliness. We can do it if we try.”

Age UK say they know what works to tackle loneliness, and the examples in the report are a real cause for optimism. “With sustained investment in the right approaches, we can make a positive difference to older people’s lives and help people develop their own pathways out of loneliness.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach and the Age UK loneliness approach is built on relationships with older people founded on empathy, respect, and collaboration that aim to help someone manage their loneliness risk, feelings, or experiences. That may mean combination of approaches such as social prescribing, psychological support including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, digital inclusion or Age UK services.”