Technology provides greater opportunities for faster, more effective, communication. This should mean that fewer people are lonely. But the reverse is true. In this article Tim Southern describes an initiative that is tackling the issue of loneliness.

Loneliness. There I said it. It’s a taboo subject. People don’t like to admit it, but in this day and age loneliness is rife and not just with the elderly. The new digital age and social media although designed to keep us better connected, in many ways means that people grow further apart. Think about it, how many times have you thought I should give an old friend a call, but instead you drop them a Facebook or whatsapp message. I know I’m certainly guilty of it, but in my middle years I also have an active social life so feel that I have some balance and any loneliness is short lived.

At the end of May, researchers from the universities of York, Manchester and Newcastle reported that loneliness increases the risk of having a stroke or coronary artery disease by 30%. It’s important that in this new era of the digital age, we remember the importance of face to face contact.

Loneliness for our aging population is sadly not so temporary and was brought to the forefront for me recently, when a friend told me that an elderly neighbour of his was taken into hospital suddenly. Although the lady has children, they do not live close by and the social services knocked on his door to ask if she was allowed home from hospital would he keep an eye on her? Of course, he was happy to help but with school runs and work commitments, he could not guarantee that he would be available 100 per cent of the time so he asked ‘what were the other options?’

He was told that the first choice is that she would have to have a longer stay in hospital. Staying in hospital because you have no one to look out for you at home is not only over-burdening the NHS but it is also not good for well-being or recovery. It’s well known that people recover much quick once they return to their familiar surroundings as anxiety reduces and they also sleep better.

The second choice is that if someone could watch her then she could come home. Of course he could keep an eye but he couldn’t be in her home overnight if she had a funny turn or fall. Also, it’s not just for when someone is returning from hospital. What about if a person is living independently but doesn’t see someone for 10 days, again not great for wellbeing. Yet it’s a sad reality for many and when you consider that the LGA’s Combating loneliness guide says ‘loneliness can be more damaging than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and quotes a study that found that lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia’ it’s even more important that people have interaction with others.

There is a third choice, which could help those returning from hospital and also people who feel isolated in their own homes. It wasn’t mentioned to my friend but I know about from my involvement with the project, it’s called Homeshare. Homeshare is a revelation which would help with the shortage of affordable housing and also a solution for loneliness.

ategi Homeshare matches an older person or a person with disabilities who needs help and support around the home, plus the companionship and security of having someone else there at night, with a younger person looking for affordable housing in Slough, Maidenhead or Windsor. With rents and house prices sky rocketing in recent years, ategi Homeshare is proving increasingly popular with people from many professions and also graduate students.

Householders are matched with Homesharers, who in return for providing the householder with ten hours per week support for shopping or cooking, they have their monthly outgoings reduced by around 75%.

With loneliness still very much a problem for those in their older years who have perhaps lost their lifelong companion, or whose children have flown the nest too far off lands, we need to think outside the box when looking for solutions to the long term companionship and care for the elderly.

Tim Southern is CEO of ategi Homeshare who support the campaign to end loneliness along with thousands of people and more than 2,000 organisations. The aim is to do more to tackle loneliness in older age.

For more information please visit www.ategi.org.uk or tweet us at @ategiHomeshare