Hamish Hayes writes about his experience of loneliness and dementia http://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk/guest-blog/dementia-awareness-week/
Local councils are dropping facilities such as lunch clubs as they say that they can't afford them. Haringey council decided last year that it couldn't afford the £171,000 a year that it costs to run lunch clubs out of its £273 million budget. Lorna Reith - the ex deputy leader of the council - made the chilling statement "There will be people who will do without, they will be at home and lonely, but actually they won’t die". http://www.hornseyjournal.co.uk/news/haringey_council_cuts_will_leave_elderly_lonely_but_not_dead_says_deputy_leader_1_778840
Apart from the callousness of this Lorna Reith was obviously not aware of the research that shows links between loneliness and ill health http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12324231
The provision of facilities for combatting loneliness and isolation is now being picked up by charities and is also being funded by Big Lottery Fund grants for "good causes"
A befriending scheme for older people has been launched in Wales with funding from the Lottery http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-17182398
And another in Northern Ireland http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18065506
As we like maps there's also a link to a map of loneliness across the UK here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7754861.stm
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